PUBLIC ROADS

DOING the

RIGHT THING: 

Building a Road and 

Preserving a Community—

The Newtown Pike 

Extension Project

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 

NEW LOOK! Guest Editorial Focuses on 

Equity in Transportation

Partnering to Address Flooding, Protect Assets

ITS-JPO Marks 30 Years of Innovation 

www.fhwa.dot.gov Spring 2022
COVERS and ABOVE—Rental housing along DeRoode Street 

looking north to the West High Street viaduct in 2014. 

Rental housing includes two fourplexes, two duplexes, 

and two single-family homes that were funded in part 

by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. 

Photo © Pam Clay-Young. Map © ink drop / AdobeStock.com.

Building a Road and 

Preserving a Community— 

The Newtown Pike Extension Project 

PAGE 16

DEPARTMENTS

Guest Editorial .................................................2

Hot Topic ..........................................................3

Along the Road ..............................................28

Training Update .............................................32

FEATURES

4 Cooperative Driving Automation: Reducing Traffic Congestion

by Pavle Bujanović and Steven Vu

FHWA’s Cooperative Driving Automation Program is 

leveraging the CARMASM Ecosystem to test technologies 

that promise safer and more efficient travel in the future.

7 Partnering for Resilience: The Southeast 

Michigan Flooding Risk Tool

by Andy Pickard and Rachael Barlock

SEMCOG and MDOT partnered to complete a study to 

assess flooding risk for roads, bridges, culverts, and pump 

stations in a seven-county region in Southeast Michigan.

12 The Future of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): 

Applying Lessons Learned From 30 Years of Innovation

by Egan Smith

ITS JPO celebrates transforming the way society moves.

16 Doing the Right Thing: Building a Road and Preserving 

a Community—The Newtown Pike Extension Project

by Pam Clay-Young, Juliana McDonald, Shane Tucker, 

David Whitworth, and Bernadette Dupont

Unique community involvement, temporary housing, and a 

community land trust successfully ensure environmental justice 

and equity for a roadway construction project in Lexington, KY. 

Source: FHWA.

PAGE 12 

Spring 2022 | Vol. 86, No. 1
Are you a longtime transportation 

professional conducting new research 

on a particular topic? Or an industry 

freshman looking to expand your 

knowledge base?

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

has the online research tool that can help. 

Since 2006, “What’s New” in FHWA publications 

has been the comprehensive online resource 

for fact sheets, TechBriefs, reports, and more to 

support your research needs. These publications 

cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Roadway safety and 

enhancements.

• Pedestrian and 

bicycle safety.

• Transportation equity.

• Connected and 

automated vehicles.

• Nondestructive 

evaluations.

• Bridge innovations, 

reconstruction, and 

rehabilitation.

• Pavement technology 

and materials.

• Intersection 

improvements and design.

• Intelligent transportation 

systems. 

To access the list of downloadable research 

documents, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/lists/whatsnew/index.cfm.

Photo illustration by FHWA. Highway image: © kanvag / AdobeStock.com. 

Vehicle image: © lunamarina / AdobeStock.com. 

Book image: © Photocreo Bednarek/ AdobeStock.com.

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

Pete Buttigieg, Secretary

Federal Highway Administration

Stephanie Pollack, Acting Administrator

Office of Research, Development, and Technology

Kelly Regal, Associate Administrator 

Jonathan B. Walker, Acting Director, 

Office of Corporate Research, Technology, 

and Innovation Management

TaMara McCrae, Editor-in-Chief

Lisa A. Shuler, Distribution Manager

Editorial Board: 

T. Everett, T. Hess, H. Kalla, M. Knopp, A. Lucero, 

I. Rico, G. Shepherd, C. Walker 

Editorial and Design Contractor: 

Schatz Strategy Group 

M. Mitchell, R. Nemec, C. Williams, A. Jacobi, 

S. Palaia, T. Tolbert, A. Lax, D. Davis, C. McCoy

Public Roads (ISSN 0033-3735; USPS 516-690) 

is published quarterly by the Office of Research, 

Development, and Technology, Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, 

VA 22101-2296. The business and editorial office of 

Public Roads is located at the McLean address above. 

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The electronic version of Public Roads can be accessed 

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The Secretary of Transportation has determined that 

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All articles are advisory or informational in nature and 

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Contents of this publication may be reprinted, provided 

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Public Roads, Spring 2022 (Washington, DC: 2022) 

https://doi.org/10.21949/1521832

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship 

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2 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

Intentional Actions Can Create Pathways to Equity

As transportation professionals of the modern age, our common mission is 

to change the world through infrastruc

ture and the access to the opportunities it 

provides. Like so many of my colleagues, 

I view public service as a ministry—an 

opportunity to promote changes that better 

the lives of all members of the community. 

And I believe that it is incumbent on us to 

grasp the gravity of the moment that we 

have to make a significant change to the way 

we invest in the future of transportation. 

Leaders in both the public and priv

-

ate trans

portation sectors must 

take up the cause and 

take meaningful action 

on diversity, equity, 

and inclusion (DEI). If 

our industry commits 

now to creating 

pathways to equity, we 

can create a modern transportation system 

that serves and provides opportunity to all, 

regardless of race, gender, or income.

-

I boldly support and agree with the 

Biden Administration’s spotlight on DEI 

and believe that it will be a game changer 

in modern day public policy. But we in the 

transportation industry must act now to 

ensure that these principles are sustained by 

creating a new framework that incorporates 

measures of accountability. If we do not 

want to repeat the mistakes of the past, and 

we want to make real, sustainable change, 

the principles of DEI must be woven 

into the fabric of transportation planning 

and investment.

We cannot erase the past, but we can 

design a more equitable future. We must 

embrace the diversity that tries to divide us. 

As we go forward, transportation planners 

must look through the lens of equity in the 

planning, design, and investment in the 

future transportation and infrastructure 

needs of our communities. State and local 

agencies must consider how to mitigate the 

barriers of the past to promote communities 

that are healthier, more inclusive, fair, and 

empowering. The industry must ensure 

that the negative effects of transportation 

infrastructure projects are 

not concentrated in the 

communities that look 

differently than the collec

tive of the decisionmakers.

-

The first step is to hire 

and promote so that the 

transportation industry 

workforce is reflective of the communities 

we serve. By delivering this “new normal,” 

transportation agencies will empower our 

workforce, challenge our thinking, broaden 

the base on common issues that will have 

a far greater impact on public priorities, 

and expand the conversation on issues 

that matter most. By new normal, I am 

suggesting we look at how we hire and 

promote: a workforce and leadership with 

DEI at heart will enrich our quality of work 

as biases are minimized; attract new talent 

to the workforce; generate innovative ideas; 

and provide new opportunities to collabo

rate. We have to talk to people that might 

not agree with us in order to strengthen our 

understanding of the issues. Taking the time 

to listen, learn, and understand different 

perspectives will create a comprehensive 

modal that provides equitable opportunity 

for all.

-

Words are valued, but actions are 

transformative and have a lasting impact.

Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D.

Secretary, Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development

President, AASHTO

Photo illustration by FHWA. Wood image: © Dzmitry / AdobeStock.com. Faces image: © freshidea / AdobeStock.com.

“Words are valued, 

but actions are 

transformative...”

© 2020 Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development.

GUEST EDITORIAL
Equity in Transportation

by DERRELL E. TURNER

Since World War II, the United States has invested heavily in its infrastructure. 

Much of this investment has gone into the 

Nation’s highway system. These investments in 

infrastructure have led America to become what 

is arguably the most prosperous Nation on Earth. 

But since its inception, America has experienced 

troubling times, and times where the Nation has 

been forced to reckon with some of the questionable decisions made by its forefathers. This history 

includes slavery, the forced migration of Native 

Americans, and the internment of Asian Americans during World War II. But, our Nation has 

always sought to correct these missteps with the 

passage of various laws and social programs.

The transportation industry has not been 

immune to poor decisionmaking. Some of those 

decisions not only have left some communities behind, but also, 

in some cases, totally obliterated others. This inequitable result 

was most evident during the construction of urban freeways across 

the country. In some cases, Black and brown communities were 

targeted by decisionmakers for a number of reasons such as low 

property values, pursuit of economic growth, and lack of equal 

access to decisionmakers. However, the Nation sought to self-correct itself with the passage of laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Relocation Assistance and Real Property 

Acquisition Policies Act (known as the Uniform Act), the Civil 

Rights Act, and numerous Executive Orders. That self-correction 

continues today.

Is the Nation still trying to self-correct? The answer is “yes,” 

and you will need to look no further than the demographics of 

the Federal Highway Administration’s workforce and that of the 

State departments of transportation. The demographics on both 

sides are vastly different today than they were nearly 40 years ago. 

Now, metropolitan planning organizations, which are composed 

of local leaders (many of which better reflect the demographics 

of their communities now more than ever), have taken on a 

much bigger role in shaping transportation in urban areas. When 

decisionmakers resemble the populace at large, the discussions at 

the table are different, and better decisions are made. While that 

doesn’t mean everyone will be happy with the final decisions, it 

does mean more people will have a seat at the table and get their 

issues considered. As more varied life experiences are shared at the 

discussion table and in our day-to-day lives, a broader perspective 

will be achieved by the decisionmakers.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is 

addressing perceived inequities in transportation by supporting 

and engaging people and communities to promote safe, affordable, 

accessible, and multimodal access to opportunities and services 

while reducing transportation-related disparities and burdens in 

the built environment. In particular, the Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation (OST) formed an equity task force (EQTF) 

composed of noncareer modal agency leaders. The EQTF has 

created six teams referred to as workstreams. Each workstream has 

noncareer and career members from OST and additional career 

representatives from nearly every modal agency. The objectives of 

the Equity Data and Assessment workstream are as follows:

• Contribute to and review USDOT’s 200-day report due 

to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy in 

August 2021.

• Assist in the development of an equity data and analysis 

tools research roadmap using USDOT’s 200-day report 

and transportation equity data request for information 

detailing a long-term vision for research aimed at improving 

transportation equity.

• Contribute to the full implementation of Executive Order 

(EO) 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support 

for Underserved Communities Through the Federal 

Government,” through the development and use of data, 

tools, and assessments.

• Assist other EO 13985 workstreams with issues on data, 

tools, and assessment.

• Connect EO 13985 data, tools, and assessment deliverables 

to the agency’s strategic plans and priorities.

The long-term goal is to help grant recipients make more 

informed decisions that fully take into account equity impacts 

just as we account for other social, environmental, and economic 

impacts when developing transportation projects.

DERRELL E. TURNER is the director of field services South and has been with 

FHWA for 37 years. He started his career on the Natchez Trace Parkway as 

a highway engineer trainee. He has held assignments in numerous Division 

offices, with his most recent headquarters assignment as Acting Associate 

Administrator for Infrastructure. He currently serves on the OST’s Equity Data 

and Assessment workstream.

Classroom instruction has changed over the years, with more minority teachers 

instructing students on topics such as science and computers.

© moodboard / AdobeStock.com.

Source: FHWA.

Percent Minority

Population by County

 ≤5% (Quantile A)

 >5% ≤10% (Quantile B)

 >10% ≤20% (Quantile C)

 >20% ≤40% (Quantile D)

 >40% ≤100% (Quantile E)

WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 3

HOT TOPIC
4 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

COOPERATIVE DRIVING AUTOMATION: 

REDUCING TRAFFIC CONGESTION

FHWA’s Cooperative Driving Automation Program is leveraging the CARMASM Ecosystem to test 

technologies that promise safer and more efficient travel in the future.

by PAVLE BUJANOVIĆ and STEVEN VU

Every day, across our Nation’s roadways, drivers experience traffic congestion to 

and from their destinations. Such congestion impedes safe and efficient travel, 

often resulting in longer commutes, more 

crashes, heightened levels of air pollution, 

and increased risks to mental health. Traffic 

congestion is an ongoing transportation 

challenge for transportation researchers 

and leaders as roadways are becoming more 

populated and will eventually be unable to 

efficiently support the increased demand.

Congestion occurs when the demand 

for using the roadway exceeds the capacity, 

resulting in slower speeds—sometimes even 

complete stops—in the flow of traffic. There 

are two types of congestion:

• Recurring congestion occurs when 

the density of vehicles on the road 

exceeds a certain threshold. As implied 

by the term “recurring,” this type of 

congestion does not have an obvious 

cause, but rather, occurs periodically 

during peak hours of travel.

• Nonrecurring congestion occurs due 

to a certain event (e.g., vehicle crash, 

inclement weather, road work).

Cooperative driving automation (CDA) 

offers a potential solution for reducing 

congestion. As defined by the SAE International (SAE) J3216 standard, CDA enables 

communication and cooperation between 

vehicles equipped with driving automation 

features, other road users, and transportation infrastructure. CDA is poised to transform the current transportation system.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s 

CDA Program is currently pursuing several 

research tracks to test CDA features that 

support transportation systems management 

and operations (TSMO). These research 

tracks leverage partnerships with Federal 

agencies and stakeholders to demonstrate 

the potential of CDA technologies to 

improve the transportation system.

FHWA’s CDA research is enabled by 

the CARMA Ecosystem, a network of 

open-source software (OSS) products and 

evaluation tools. The CARMA Ecosystem is 

helping uncover opportunities to use CDA 

to improve transportation system safety and 

performance. The CDA Program leverages 

OSS research products, including CARMA 

PlatformSM, which is installed in research 

vehicles to equip them with cooperative 

capabilities for SAE automated driving 

system Level 3+ functionality.

“CDA technologies have the potential 

to improve safety and reduce congestion by 

Intelligent infrastructure communicates 

with a CARMA PlatformSM- equipped 

vehicle at an intersection.

Source: FHWA.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 5

enabling vehicles to work together more efficiently. We’re excited to 

see the CARMA tools that the FHWA’s CDA Program has developed to support CDA research, as this open-source effort benefits 

everyone,” says Amanda Hamm, program manager of the Virginia 

Department of Transportation’s Connected and Automated 

Vehicle Program.

CDA Reliability Research Track

The CDA Reliability research track, in partnership with the 

Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS 

JPO) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

(FMCSA), focuses on developing and testing CDA applications 

that will increase the reliability of the transportation network 

during nonrecurring traffic congestion scenarios, scenarios that 

are known, historically, to be unreliable. Under the Reliability 

research track, the research team recently finished testing the 

following use cases:

• Road weather management (RWM): This use case 

demonstrates interaction between infrastructure and 

CARMA Platform-equipped vehicles to manage traffic 

caused by inclement weather, such as a storm or ice on 

the road.

• Traffic incident management (TIM): This use case 

demonstrates the “Move Over” law, in which a traveling 

vehicle must move over to the next lane when approaching 

an emergency vehicle pulled over on the shoulder.

• Work zone management (WZM): This use case demonstrates 

CDA in a two-lane, two-way road, where a work zone has 

closed one of the lanes.

Testing for these use cases aims to emulate these real-world 

scenarios in a closed and controlled test track environment.

CDA Traffic Research Track

In partnership with ITS JPO, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and FMCSA, FHWA’s CDA Traffic research track 

explores the application of CDA to recurring traffic congestion 

on freeways and arterials through several use cases, the first being 

the basic travel use case.

Basic Travel Use Case

This use case demonstrates how CDA can enhance traditional 

TSMO strategies and existing infrastructure for basic travel on 

freeways and arterials. The CDA features developed from this use 

case may improve efficiency and safety and reduce bottlenecks 

at merge points along a freeway. This use case is the first test of 

CDA technologies in which the vehicles are in complete control 

of lateral and longitudinal movement (i.e., no human driver 

controlling steering) while interacting with the surrounding 

infrastructure. Successful initial testing of the basic travel use case 

will facilitate further expansion of this use case as well as proofof-concept testing of other CDA applications.

The concept-of-operations testing under the basic travel use 

case involves two CARMA Platform-equipped vehicles traveling 

in the same direction on a freeway. In this use case, one of the 

vehicles (Vehicle A) will be traveling on the freeway, while the 

other vehicle (Vehicle B) will be merging onto the freeway from 

the onramp, requiring vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

This use case demonstrates three CDA features: cooperative 

ramp merge, platooning, and speed advisory. To accomplish these 

actions, CARMA Platform-equipped vehicles must communicate with CARMA CloudSM (the cloud-based OSS enabling 

communication and cooperation between the transportation system 

and users) to make sure the vehicle can merge safely. Additionally, 

CARMA Cloud broadcasts a speed advisory that the vehicles receive 

through a nearby roadside unit.

Validation Testing

In September 2021, FHWA’s CDA research team traveled to 

the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti, MI, to perform 

1. Vehicles en route on a freeway. 2. Vehicles performing cooperative lane merge. 

3. Vehicles forming a platoon. 4. Platoon responding to a speed advisory.

Source: FHWA.

1

2

3

4
6 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

validation testing for the basic travel use case. The testing took place 

on a closed test track and involved two CARMA Platform-equipped 

vehicles, with the use case proceeding as follows:

Vehicle A, the lead vehicle, began its route on the test track at 

a speed of 25 miles per hour (mph). Vehicle B, the follow vehicle, 

entered from the ramp and performed an unobstructed lane merge 

at a speed of 25 mph. This differed slightly from the concept-ofoperations testing use case, in which an obstructed lane merge was 

performed. During the validation testing, Vehicle B’s release from 

the ramp was manually timed, and thus the merging process did not 

require any coordination between the vehicles.

After the merge was complete, the two vehicles formed a platoon 

and proceeded to drive as a platoon along the track. After the 

vehicles had been platooning for about 0.4 miles (0.6 km), 

Vehicle A received a speed advisory notice to be applied within 

a particular area. The speed advisory was broadcasted from 

a roadside unit connected to CARMA Cloud and instructed 

Vehicle A to slow its speed to 15 mph. Vehicle A subsequently 

communicated this speed change to Vehicle B. The vehicles 

decelerated together to 15 mph and continued to drive as a 

platoon until they reached the end of the route, at which point 

the platoon dissolved.

Collaboration

The CARMA OSS approach fosters and encourages collaboration between relevant stakeholders in Government, academia, 

consulting, and the technical industry to accelerate advancements in CDA research, development, and testing. The source 

code for CARMA products can be accessed on GitHub at 

https://github.com/usdot-fhwa-stol.

The CDA engagement efforts provide additional opportunities to foster this collaboration through CARMA Collaborative and CARMA Support Services. CARMA Collaborative 

is growing a community of users, prospective users, and other 

stakeholders who work toward the shared goal of advancing 

CDA through targeted communications and outreach activities. 

Deployers of CARMA tools can utilize the CARMA Support 

Services online help desk service to obtain troubleshooting 

support for their CDA research.

Looking Ahead

As one of the first tests of CDA technologies in which the vehicles were in complete control of lateral and longitudinal movement, the basic travel use case has set the framework for future 

research and testing of CDA applications for reducing recurring 

congestion. Similarly, results from RWM, TIM, and WZM use case 

testing have contributed to a growing body of research that aims to 

apply CDA to reduce nonrecurring congestion.

The introduction of CDA has the potential to transform existing 

and future transportation systems, improving transportation efficiency and safety. Closed track validation tests of use cases under 

the CDA Reliability and CDA Traffic research tracks are a step in 

the direction of real-world testing of CDA technologies, with the 

ultimate goal of technology deployment.

“The CARMA Ecosystem is setting the foundation for the future 

of open-source technology that advances our understanding of 

the role of infrastructure in supporting and enabling cooperative 

automation–an effort we believe strongly supports us in preparing 

our transportation system for the future,” says Gregory Slater, 

former Maryland Secretary of Transportation.

PAVLE BUJANOVIĆ is a technical manager in FHWA’s Office of Safety and 

Operations Research and Development, managing various CDA research 

projects. He earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Syracuse University, an M.S. 

in sustainable design and construction from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in 

transportation engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

STEVEN VU is a contracted communications specialist in FHWA’s Saxton 

Transportation Operations Laboratory, contributing to marketing and outreach 

activities. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Virginia.

For more information on the CDA Program, visit https://highways 

.dot.gov/research/operations/CARMA.

CARMA Platform-equipped vehicle merges onto a freeway during validation testing.

Source: FHWA.

1. Vehicles form a platoon after the merge. 2. Lead vehicle receives speed advisory 

broadcasted by CARMA Cloud.

Source: FHWA.

1

2
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 7

Flooding Risk Tool

SEMCOG and MDOT partnered to complete a study to 

assess flooding risk for roads, bridges, culverts, and pump 

stations in a seven-county region in Southeast Michigan.

by ANDY PICKARD and RACHAEL BARLOCK

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) is home to 

over 4.7 million people in 93 cities like 

Detroit and Ann Arbor, 24 villages, and 115 

townships. As flooding events continued to 

affect the region—and become potentially 

more severe and frequent—SEMCOG and 

the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) both sought to understand 

where transportation assets were the most 

vulnerable to flooding and how to address 

such challenges. Their collaboration resulted 

in the SEMCOG Climate Resiliency and 

Flooding Mitigation Study, a comprehensive 

dataset, and an analysis tool that can be used 

to predict flooding risk for thousands of key 

infrastructure assets in the region. Information from the study will be used to guide 

planning and investment decisions within 

the transportation network of the sevencounty (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, 

Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne) 

SEMCOG region. According to Kelly Karll, 

manager of the Environment and Infrastructure Department at SEMCOG, “Addressing 

flooding risk requires collaboration across 

different infrastructure sectors, including 

transportation and water infrastructure. 

This includes using a watershed approach 

to identify strategic, cost-effective solutions 

while considering impacts of changing 

precipitation events.” A watershed approach 

allows for holistic stormwater management 

that extends beyond the bounds of the 

transportation network.

Resiliency—the ability to recover quickly 

from a damaging or catastrophic event—is 

a top priority in transportation plans. It is 

one of the 10 factors that must be addressed 

in the metropolitan transportation process 

per Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR 450.306(b)(9) and 23 CFR 

450.206(a)(9): Improve the resiliency and 

reliability of the transportation system and 

reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts of 

Partnering for Resilience: 

The Southeast Michigan 

Flooded roadway in Southeast Michigan. 

© Jon Clark / SEMCOG.
8 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

surface transportation. Several resources 

developed by the Federal Highway Administration also emphasize resiliency. These 

resources include the Vulnerability Assessment 

and Adaptability Framework, 3rd Edition

(FHWA-HEP-18-020), U.S. Department 

of Transportation Vulnerability Assessment 

Scoring Tool (available at https://www.fhwa

.dot.gov/environment/sustainability/resilience

/tools/scoring_tools_guide/index.cfm), and 

the 2013-2015 Climate Resilience Pilot 

Program: Outcomes, Lessons Learned, and 

Recommendations (FHWA-HEP-16-079). 

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

(IIJA) also includes numerous references 

to resilience. For example, in the highway 

provisions section, resilience is referenced in 

requirements (e.g., “requires consideration 

of extreme weather and resilience in lifecycle 

cost and risk management analyses”), 

enhancements (e.g., “...protective features 

to enhance resilience”), and provisions 

(e.g., “climate and resilience provisions”). 

For information on the highway provisions 

portion of the IIJA, visit: https://www.fhwa

.dot.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law/docs

/bil_overview_20211122.pdf.

In recent years, SEMCOG has taken 

action to build resiliency by identifying vulnerable natural resources and 

infrastructure assets and planning to 

mitigate the impacts of climate hazards, 

including flooding. For example, in the 

2045 Regional Transportation Plan for 

Southeast Michigan, climate resiliency is 

called out as a key challenge in the region. 

In March 2018, SEMCOG also established 

a Water Resource Plan for Southeast Michigan, which highlights climate resiliency 

as a major topic of interest and identifies 

actions to build resiliency. Such actions 

include identifying vulnerable infrastructure 

assets and improving adaptive capacity of 

the systems; integrating resiliency priorities 

into local policies, plans, and projects; and 

evaluating opportunities to use natural 

resource areas for improving management 

of runoff from extreme precipitation events. 

Additionally, MDOT piloted a climate 

change vulnerability assessment in 2015 to 

identify transportation assets that may be at 

risk to climate hazards. In 2018, SEMCOG 

and MDOT received a State planning and 

research grant to expand the risk analysis 

to include flooding risk. The SEMCOG 

Climate Resiliency and Flooding Mitigation 

Study, described in this article, built upon 

the 2015 MDOT study and generated 

several new resources for transportation 

planners, including insight on how to:

• Leverage improved data to identify 

transportation assets at risk 

of flooding.

• Develop a repeatable flooding risk 

assessment tool, with the capability of 

expansion, to cover a larger geographic 

area or number of assets.

• Identify opportunities to integrate 

flooding risk results into existing 

planning and investment strategies.

Methodology

To identify flooding risk for four asset 

types (roads, bridges, culverts, and 

pump stations), researchers utilized 

an indicator-based (or flooding risk) 

methodology for the SEMCOG Climate 

Resiliency and Flooding Mitigation Study. 

This approach is similar to that used in the 

2015 MDOT assessment, which was in 

alignment with the FHWA’s Vulnerability 

Assessment and Adaptation Framework, 

but expanded the analysis used for the 

2015 MDOT study in using data recently 

available on exposure and sensitivity. The 

exposure and sensitivity data allowed for a 

specific focus on the risk of flooding.

The flooding risk methodology is 

broken into multiple components: vulnerability, criticality, exposure, and sensitivity. 

Flooded roadway from the Southeast 

Michigan flooding event in summer 2021.

 © Jon Clark / SEMCOG.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 9

Flooding risk is a factor of vulnerability and 

criticality, and vulnerability is a factor of 

exposure and sensitivity. Exposure indicates 

whether the asset is located in an area that 

experiences the direct effects of flooding. 

For example, if it rains, the rain will collect 

in a depressed freeway. Sensitivity refers to 

how the asset, the depressed freeway, fares 

when it is exposed to flooding. If that same 

depressed freeway has cleared catch basins 

attached to a collection system with enough 

capacity and pumping capability, it may 

not be very sensitive. Together, exposure 

and sensitivity create vulnerability.

Criticality is the importance of an 

asset to the system or region; criticality is 

independent of vulnerability. For example, 

if a depressed freeway is a major shipping 

route, it would be vital to the area’s local 

economy, and therefore deemed critical. 

Criticality and vulnerability create overall 

risk, and in the case of this study, risk 

correlates specifically to flooding risk.

In this study, several data sources 

were used to populate the indicators for 

the flooding risk, which included the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA) Flood Map Service Center to 

pinpoint flood zone location, pavement 

condition, traffic volume, and function 

classification. Each indicator and scoring 

approach varied for each asset type. The 

flooding indicator weights and approaches 

were determined through conversations 

with the study’s project team, MDOT, 

Flowchart of flooding risk indicators. 

© Rachael Barlock / SEMCOG.

Component Roads Bridges Culverts Pump Stations

Exposure

Past flooding experience

FEMA flood zone location

Flow accumulation and ponding

Impervious surface

Projected change in number of days with precipitation greater than 3 inches from baseline (1980–1999) to mid-century (2040–2059)

Sensitivity

Past flood damage Past flood damage Past flood damage Past flood damage

Pavement Condition

Scour criticality Condition index*

Rating

For scour critical bridges only, 

the following were also included: Age*

Channel condition Inspection comments 

indicate “full” or “buried”

Fracture critical Proportion of height 

filled with water

Single or multi-span Stream substrate

Criticality

Traffic volume Traffic volume

Scored based on the criticality score of the 

corresponding road segment

Functional classification Functional classification

Truck traffic volume

Truck traffic volume

Detour length

Replacement cost

* MDOT is in the process of collecting data on culverts. Because of the current limited data available, but potential for improved future data availability, the project team developed a methodology that 

will be adaptable to take into account the best available data. Currently, few data exist to indicate culvert condition, but the methodology provides an option to use these data as they are collected.

Indicators used for road, bridge, culvert, and pump station assets to determine risk factors. 

© Rachael Barlock / SEMCOG.

Road risk score methodology flowchart. 

© Rachael Barlock / SEMCOG.
10 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

county transportation planners, and local 

road and stormwater professionals, as well 

as baseline guidance from the initial 2015 

MDOT study.

It’s important to note that the flooding 

risk scores ultimately allow SEMCOG, 

MDOT, and local road agencies to screen 

which assets are most likely to experience 

flooding, which can be useful in transportation and stormwater planning. However, 

flooding risk scores do not provide a direct 

prediction of flooding from a particular 

event, and they do not provide any input on 

expected duration of flooding.

Flooding Risk Tool

The results of this project included the 

development of the Flooding Risk Tool 

that calculates a flooding risk score for each 

road, bridge, culvert, and pump station in 

the seven-county SEMCOG region. The 

tool’s calculations are repeatable, and results 

can be strengthened with additional data 

as it becomes available. The flooding risk 

scores produced by the tool are available 

via the SEMCOG Flooding Risk Tool 

Dashboard, an interactive online dashboard 

that allows interested parties to search for 

specific roads, bridges, or other infrastructure assets using an interactive map, review a 

flooding risk score and individual indicator 

scores, and export data as a geodatabase or 

spreadsheet. The dashboard is available at 

https://semcog-community.maps.arcgis.com 

/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/96cbdd4d

71c2462ead70623966e2d1b1. Of the assets 

included in the analysis, more than 6,300 

were determined to be at high risk (a 

flooding risk score of at least 3 out of 4):

• Roads: 6,134 (of 71,599)

• Bridges: 209 (of 2,634)

• Culverts: 15 (of 3,022)

• Pump stations: 2 (of 143)

With respect to indicator scoring, the 

percentage weights can be changed at 

any time in the Flooding Risk Tool. For 

example, if it is determined by MDOT that 

pavement condition should be excluded 

from this scoring methodology, the tool 

allows for that modification. In the same 

way, should more data become available, 

the indicators can be adjusted and the tool 

run again.

In this study, the primary driver of highrisk scores was vulnerability, which is 75 

percent of the risk score. Most of the highrisk roads, bridges, and pump stations are in 

Wayne County, and those scores are largely 

driven by criticality in the county.

SEMCOG will run the Flooding Risk 

Tool annually with any updated data and 

provide the results on the SEMCOG 

Flooding Risk Tool Dashboard.

Using Flooding Risk Scores 

to Improve Decisionmaking

Integrating the results of the Flooding 

Risk Tool into transportation and stormwater planning is a critical next step in 

this study. Resilience depends on a holistic 

strategy to ensure the application of the 

flooding risk scores. To determine the best 

implementation strategies, the project team 

facilitated working sessions with MDOT, 

SEMCOG, county and local representatives, 

and other regional stakeholders. The group 

identified opportunities to use the flooding 

risk results in transportation planning.

For instance, at MDOT, the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP), and 

Program Development Call for Projects 

Process can be modified to include flooding 

risk in various stages of the study’s planning 

process. The TAMP identifies flooding in 

two threat categories: Climate change and 

project-level disruptions. Incorporating the 

flooding risk scores in the Call for Projects 

Process will allow for capital improvement 

projects to include flooding risk during the 

investment’s decisionmaking process.

According to Steve Minton, Metro 

Associate Region engineer at MDOT, 

“Focusing on climate resiliency and flooding 

risk is an absolute must for MDOT when 

considering the impacts from major rain 

events and subsequent flooding that have 

occurred recently and will continue to occur 

with increased frequency. MDOT will 

need to look at both short-term solutions 

and evaluating our approach to stormwater 

management long term to transition to a 

resilient transportation network.”

At SEMCOG, coordination will 

continue with MDOT, especially with 

respect to continued and improved data 

collection. Additionally, SEMCOG will 

continue to work with local partners 

to facilitate the implementation of the 

A restricted storm drain during a 2021 heavy rain event. 

© Rachael Barlock / SEMCOG.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 11

flooding risk scores into transportation 

planning projects. Currently, SEMCOG is 

working with local agencies in their region 

to incorporate flooding risk scores generated by the tool into the Transportation 

Improvement Program.

Lessons Learned

As part of this study, some major 

themes emerged:

• Flooding risk information is an 

important component when making 

challenging investment decisions.

• Working sessions are an effective 

method for reviewing results and 

developing integration strategies for 

flooding risk information.

• Data sharing between agencies is key 

to evaluating flooding risk to assets.

• In an indicator-based risk assessment, 

complete asset data is critical for 

generating meaningful results.

Next Steps

The culvert data for this project was often 

incomplete or missing; a key step for both 

MDOT and SEMCOG, going forward, 

is to increase data collection on culverts. 

Using geospatial analysis, SEMCOG has 

determined there are approximately 13,000 

road/stream crossings in the region, but 

this project was only able to access data for 

about 3,000 culverts.

SEMCOG has also developed the 

Southeast Michigan Flooding App, a 

smartphone-based application to report or 

track the locations of flooding during wet 

weather events. The app can be found at 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories

/6b834966ed0744c6818c0cf093986982. 

During the data collection phase of this 

study, SEMCOG found that many municipalities did not keep a database of frequently 

flooded locations. To help collect locations 

of closed roads, flooded shoulders, and 

blocked culverts, SEMCOG developed a 

Geographic Information Systems-based 

application that allows the user to take a 

photo, record a GPS location, and indicate 

the severity of the flooding. The intended 

users of this application are professionals 

in the water or transportation industry, 

ranging from stormwater engineers and field 

technicians to watershed group volunteers 

and more. In the future, the data collected 

with this municipal-level flood tracking tool 

will become another indicator, similar to 

the FEMA flood maps, that can be used by 

the Flooding Risk Tool to more accurately 

calculate risk scores for local infrastructure assets.

ANDY PICKARD, PE, AICP, is a senior transportation planner at the Michigan Division of FHWA, 

where he assists partner organizations with 

managing Federal planning requirements and 

improving transportation planning initiatives. He 

holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from the 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an 

M.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute 

of Technology.

RACHAEL BARLOCK is a water resources engineer 

at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments 

where she works on climate resiliency and water 

infrastructure projects. She holds a B.S. in environmental engineering and an M.S. in civil engineering 

from Michigan Technological University.

For more information, see https://semcog.org/

or contact Andy Pickard (517-702-1827; 

andy.pickard@dot.gov) or Rachael Barlock 

(313-319-1062; barlock@semcog.org).

To help collect locations of closed roads, flooded shoulders, and blocked culverts, 

SEMCOG developed a Geographic Information Systems-based application.

© photogeek / AdobeStock.com.
12 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

The Future of INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS): 

Applying Lessons Learned From 30 Years of Innovation

ITS JPO celebrates transforming the way society moves.

by EGAN SMITH

For three decades, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office 

(JPO) has spurred the development and 

use of ITS to move people and goods more 

safely and efficiently.

ITS JPO was established to coordinate 

intermodal policy in the implementation 

of the ITS program, originally termed 

the Intelligent Vehicle Highway System 

(IVHS) program. From its inception, the 

ITS JPO has pursued extraordinary challenges—starting with the 1994 signing of 

the National Automated Highway System 

Consortium (NAHSC) agreement. This 

agreement led to the embarkment on major 

research to develop what was expected to 

be the next significant evolutionary stage of 

the Nation’s vehicle-highway transportation 

system. This research culminated with a 

successful demonstration of the congressionally mandated Automated Highway System 

(AHS). This demonstration was followed by 

the opportunity for elements of the Nation’s 

transportation system to digitally connect 

through the dedicated radio spectrum, the 

Safety Band, but it required additional and 

substantial amounts of research.

As the prospect of vehicle-to-vehicle 

(V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) 

communication became more imminent, 

ITS JPO supported the advancement of 

connected vehicle (CV) technology via 

a real-world pilot deployment program. 

Now, CVs are poised to positively transform streets, communities, and the manner 

in which people live and travel into a 

connected ecosystem. But before these technologies can be broadly deployed, there are 

several technical, institutional, and financial 

challenges that can only be understood and 

overcome by putting emerging technologies 

to work in real-world situations.

“As we look back at what the ITS JPO 

has accomplished in our 30-year history, we 

are also focused on how we can leverage our 

successes and lessons learned as we advance 

toward the future of transportation,” says 

ITS JPO Director Kenneth M. Leonard. 

“Transportation’s future revolves not only 

around connected and automated vehicles, 

which can efficiently increase safety and 

mobility for travelers, but also on emerging 

information communications technologies, 

ITS JPO has celebrated three decades of innovative research and development initiatives that have helped increase the safety of travelers both 

inside and outside the vehicle, advance roadside infrastructure, and expand mobility options for Americans across the Nation. 

Source: USDOT.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 13

artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and 

other ITS advances that will increase access 

to transportation for all Americans and 

make the transportation system more flexible, resilient, and affordable.” 

The Rise of ITS JPO

The early years of ITS JPO, dating back 

to the 1990s, were inspired by advances in 

computing and sensing technologies that 

had begun to spark keen interests based on 

their potential to transform surface transportation and offer new possibilities for a safer 

and more efficient transportation system.

To solidify the role and importance 

of ITS in maintaining, improving, and 

growing the U.S. transportation system, 

the Federal Government reauthorized the 

Federal-Aid Highway Program in 1991. 

This crucial step established the foundation 

for the Federal-aid ITS program. (Although 

it wasn’t until 1994 that the USDOT 

officially sanctioned the term “ITS” as a 

replacement for IVHS—recognizing the 

multimodal nature of the activity and 

de-emphasizing the focus on technologies for vehicle guidance—and the IVHS 

program was renamed ITS JPO, clarifying 

the program’s multimodal intent.)

In 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), 

was signed into law, further acknowledging 

the importance of the development and 

application of advanced technologies for 

ITS. The Nation was then on the cusp of a 

transportation revolution.

One of the major efforts to result from 

ISTEA was a congressional mandate for 

the development of a prototype AHS. The 

USDOT formed the NAHSC—comprised 

of the following nine public and private 

organizations: General Motors, Bechtel 

Corporation, the California Department of 

Transportation (Caltrans), Carnegie Mellon 

University, Delco Electronics, Hughes, 

Lockheed Martin, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and 

the University of California-Berkeley—to 

demonstrate that an automated highway 

could provide safer and more convenient 

travel. The NAHSC used communications, 

sensors, and obstacle-detection technologies 

on limited access roadways to automatically control vehicle throttle, steering, and 

braking. This pioneering work was showcased during a live demonstration in August 

1997, referred to as Demo ’97, where more 

than 20 fully automated vehicles operated 

on the I-15 in San Diego, CA, as elected 

officials, transportation stakeholders, the 

media, and the general public watched.

Another pivotal moment in ITS JPO’s 

history includes the passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century 

(TEA-21) in 1997. Through TEA-21, ITS 

JPO received funding for research, training, 

and standards development; the development of metropolitan and rural systems; 

and commercial vehicle ITS infrastructure 

deployment. TEA-21 helped ITS JPO transition from a moderate research program 

to a program steadfast in its pursuits to 

accelerate technology research into technology deployment.

Advancing Mobility and a Connected 

Transportation System

In 1999, the Federal Communications 

Commission allocated 75 MHz of radio 

spectrum for ITS use. The 2000s brought 

a rapid expansion in the use of communications technologies—the number of 

Americans with a smartphone skyrocketed, 

the number and speed of Wi-Fi networks 

grew, and cloud technology became more 

prevalent. These developments, coupled 

with other expanded uses and opportunities 

created by communications technologies, 

led ITS JPO and the transportation industry 

to become acutely interested in the tremendous potential of V2V and V2I technologies 

to address highway safety problems and 

other challenges. These developments also 

revealed possibilities for new transportation 

applications that could leverage communications technologies and connectivity to offer 

A rendering of automated vehicles operating on a highway and commercial vehicle ITS infrastructure deployment. 

Source: USDOT.

A rendering of connected vehicle technology implemented on major roads and highways. 

Source: USDOT.
14 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

more real-time information for travelers. For 

example, mobile and in-vehicle user devices 

for imminent crash alerts, upcoming queue 

warnings, and signal violations.

ITS JPO recognized the potential to 

propel ITS forward by connecting vehicles, 

roads, and travelers, and in 2012, launched 

the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot. At 

the time, this safety pilot was the largest 

real-world test of CV technologies. More 

than 2,700 participating vehicles in Ann 

Arbor, MI, usedwireless safety technology to 

help everyday drivers avoid crashes as they 

traveled along their daily routes.

The success of the Connected Vehicle 

Safety Pilot paved the way for the more 

robust and nationwide Connected Vehicle 

Pilot Deployment program in 2015. This 

program awarded cooperative agreements 

collectively worth more than $45 million 

to three pilot sites in New York City, 

Tampa, FL (at the Tampa Hillsborough 

Expressway Authority), and along I-80 in 

Wyoming, to implement a suite of CV 

applications and technologies tailored to 

meet each region’s unique transportation 

needs. Each site designed, built, tested, and 

is now operating deployments of integrated, 

interoperable wireless in-vehicle, mobile 

device, and roadside technologies.

“By uncovering and addressing barriers 

to deployment, documenting lessons 

learned, and providing a template for other 

early deployments, the pilots will ultimately 

help establish the foundation for growing a 

nationwide connected vehicle system,” says 

Kate Hartman, ITS JPO chief of research, 

evaluation, and management.

The Way Forward: Putting People First

In June 2021, the ITS JPO published the 

report, Putting People First: Smart Cities and 

Communities. Smart cities and communities (SC&Cs) use advanced information 

and communications technologies to find 

better ways to address age-old problems like 

potholes and pollution, traffic and parking, 

public health and safety, and equity and 

public engagement. Most importantly, 

successful SC&Cs put people first. For 

communities that are embracing SC&C 

solutions as a means to engage people to 

accomplish collective goals, that future 

is fast arriving.

The Nation has ambitious goals for 

climate, equity, and economic growth that 

hinge on the U.S. transportation network, 

and it has been local communities leading 

the charge to address these goals. By 

embracing bold policies and innovative solutions that leverage rapidly advancing technologies, communities are not only solving 

local problems like traffic and parking, but 

also creating a model for more inclusive, 

connected, and sustainable communities of 

the future. USDOT stands ready to support 

local governments as they learn from early 

pilots and begin moving toward integrated, 

sustainable systems—starting with listening, 

learning, and sharing what works, what 

doesn’t, and what’s next.

ITS JPO continues to lead with pilots 

focused on putting people first. For 

example, the Complete Trip – ITS4US 

Deployment Program kicked off in early 

2021, and awarded over $38 million to five 

projects to advance transportation equity 

by solving mobility challenges for underserved communities that often face greater 

ITS JPO recognized early on the potential to propel ITS forward by connecting 

vehicles, roads, and travelers’ personal devices. 

Source: USDOT.

The USDOT awarded three cooperative agreements for the regional connected 

vehicle pilots in New York City; Wyoming; and Tampa, FL. 

Source: USDOT.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 15

challenges in accessing essential services. 

The program aims to provide more efficient, 

affordable, and accessible transportation 

options for individuals with disabilities, 

older adults, low-income individuals, rural 

residents, veterans, and travelers with 

limited English proficiency.

ITS JPO is also continuing to explore 

advanced communications technologies to 

support transportation connectivity, thereby 

enabling cooperative ITS and connected 

and automated transportation. This includes 

exploratory research into the viability of 

next-generation communications technologies, such as cellular vehicle-to-everything 

and 5G communications. In addition, the 

ITS JPO is exploring the use of artificial 

intelligence (AI) to support and augment 

the actions of traffic management center 

operators, transit and freight operators, 

and travelers to ensure safer, more efficient, 

and equitable travel. “AI holds significant 

promise to improve the safety, mobility, 

efficiency, equity, accessibility, and environmental impacts of our transportation 

network,” says ITS JPO’s Chief of Policy, 

Architecture, and Knowledge Transfer 

Dr. Jonathan Walker, P.E.

Paving the Path Forward

As ITS JPO looks toward the future, it 

remains committed to ensuring the safety 

of roads, highways, and communities for 

all travelers. According to Leonard, “Doing 

so requires we leverage our most innovative 

ideas and technologies as well as advanced 

management approaches to developing, 

deploying, and integrating complex systems 

of systems. This is not about continuing 

the status quo. Our Nation’s transportation 

system must evolve and advance to continue 

to serve as a pipeline to our communities, 

our livelihood, and our productivity. It must 

become smarter, more connected, more 

integrated, and more accessible to fit the 

diverging needs of all people, communities, 

and society as a whole.”

EGAN SMITH, P.E., PTP, PTOE, works as managing 

director of ITS JPO and is responsible for the 

coordination, oversight, and evaluation for all 

ongoing ITS JPO program activities. Egan has a B.S. 

in civil engineering, an M.E. in traffic engineering 

and operations research, and an M.S. in technology management.

For more information, see https://www.its.dot 

.gov/history/index.html. To learn more about 

the ITS JPO, visit www.its.dot.gov, https: 

//www.its.dot.gov/stratplan2020/index.htm, or 

contact Egan Smith at (202) 366-9224 or 

Egan.Smith@dot.gov.

Connected vehicle technology is being deployed or planned to be deployed in over 170 sites across the United States. 

Source: USDOT.

USDOT stands ready to support governments as they move 

toward integrated, sustainable transportation systems. 

Source: USDOT.

Planned Projects

Operational Projects

Source: Volpe, the National Transportation System Center (USDOT).

The project information and data contained on this map was gathered from 

publicly available materials and is subject to change. December 2021.

Sites Projects Vehicle-Based Devices * Infrastructure

Planned Sites 102 3,725 3,560

Operational Sites * * 69 20,057 9,381

Total 171 23,782 12,941

* Includes Aftermarket Devices * * Includes Devises in Phased Deployments
LEXIN

KENT

Davis P

16 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

by PAM CLAY-YOUNG, JULIANA MCDONALD, SHANE TUCKER, DAVID WHITWORTH, and BERNADETTE DUPONT

Across the United States, roadway projects have often devastated disadvantaged 

neighborhoods, which makes the story 

of the Newtown Pike Extension Project 

(NPEP) in Lexington, KY, unique. As early 

as 1931 road and park construction were 

suggested as catalysts to improve housing in 

an area that included a historical low-income 

neighborhood, Davis Bottom (DB). Road 

construction designs from the 1950s and 

1970s were proposed that would have 

paved over DB. After those efforts failed, a 

1997 revival of the NPEP and a subsequent 

2007 agreement ensured a just outcome 

for the DB neighborhood. As a member of 

the NPEP team put it, “This is a story of 

conflict and resolution between a government highway project and a disenfranchised, 

diverse, low-income historic neighborhood 

that does not end in tragedy or frustration.”

DB was built around 1865. In 1880, 

the U.S. Census officially recognized DB, 

recording the early diversity of the neighborhood where the population was 69 percent 

Black and 31 percent white. In 1931, the 

city of Lexington’s Comprehensive Plan 

first suggested that building streets, parks, 

and schools in neighborhoods, including 

DB, might improve dilapidated housing. In 

1958, a road project was proposed to extend 

two interstates into downtown, slating the 

DB neighborhood for destruction. This 

proposal was abandoned. The community 

was threatened again in 1971 when an 

extension of Newtown Pike was planned 

that would displace 140 DB families. 

Because construction of Rupp Arena, a 

sporting venue, had recently demolished 

an adjoining neighborhood, residents got 

strong support from the larger Lexington 

community. Although a city task force 

recommended that the cost of replacement 

housing be included as part of the road 

project, the entire effort was canceled. As a 

result, mistrust of any roadway plan became 

ingrained in the DB community.

By 1997, as urban growth and traffic 

congestion in Lexington became pressing 

concerns, city and State representatives along with transportation professionals revived the NPEP. In 2000, the 

project became a part of the Kentucky 

Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) 

Six-Year Highway Plan.

DOING the RIGHT THING: 

Building a Road and Preserving a Community—

The Newtown Pike Extension Project

Unique community involvement, interim housing, and a community 

land trust successfully ensure environmental justice and equity 

for a roadway construction project in Lexington, KY. 

Rental housing along DeRoode Street 

looking north to the West High Street 

viaduct in 2014. Rental housing 

includes two fourplexes, two duplexes, 

and two single-family homes that were 

funded in part by the Low-Income 

Housing Tax Credit program.

© Pam Clay-Young.
GTON

UCKY

Park

WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 17

Early environmental analysis revealed a 

variety of potential negative impacts of the 

NPEP. Unlike previous attempts, transportation professionals at the time had new 

laws (The National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969, Title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order (EO) 

12898 of 1994, and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (the Uniform 

Act)) and innovative methods to protect 

vulnerable communities. NEPA requires 

Federal agencies to integrate environmental 

considerations into their decision-making 

processes. EO 12898 ensures that minority 

and low-income populations do not experience disproportionately high and adverse 

human health or environmental effects from 

Federal programs, policies, and activities. 

The EO also ensures that environmental 

justice analysis is included in a NEPA review 

process. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1964 requires that any entity receiving 

Federal funds or financial assistance does 

not discriminate on the basis of race, 

color, or national origin in any program 

or activity. The Uniform Act provides 

payments to aid people who move because 

of Federal or Federally assisted projects. The 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

is the lead agency for implementing the 

provisions of the Uniform Act and has 

issued regulations in 49 CFR part 24. This 

project also integrated anthropology with 

engineering to engage and build trust with 

the local community.

From the beginning, the NPEP team 

faced numerous challenges, including 

protecting DB from high-end development, preserving its cohesion and history, 

gaining trust of local residents, addressing 

environmental contaminants, and providing 

affordable replacement housing. The 

project team anticipated the entire project 

corridor would be economically impacted 

by the proposed NPEP due to market-rate 

influence on land values. The residents 

of DB would be least able to cope with 

any increases in land values. The pressure 

of market-rate infiltration would intensify because many residents were renters. 

Landlords would seize the opportunity 

to raise rents or turn to more lucrative 

commercial land uses, with either option 

forcing out current renters. Homeowners 

would likely be forced out due to increases 

in property taxes. Without some form of 

protection, land use in the neighborhood 

would continue its progression towards 

either high-end residential or commercial 

and light industrial development, consistent 

with the zoning in place during the time of 

the NEPA analysis. Unless industrial zoning 

was removed in this neighborhood, it was 

unlikely that would it be rezoned as a residential neighborhood. The team’s concern 

was that as the neighborhood became more 

commercially developed, it was less likely 

that existing residents, both homeowners 

and renters, would be able to continue to 

live there or that new affordable housing 

would be constructed in the area. Without 

some sort of mitigation plan, the project’s 

cumulative effect would be the loss of an 

entire community.

The Record of Decision (ROD), 

approved by FHWA, KYTC, and 

the Lexington Fayette Urban County 

At the right is rental and ownership housing in Davis Park created by the NPEP and the Lexington Community Land Trust 

to replace previous homes in DB, a neighborhood dating back to 1865. 

© 2021 Pam Clay-Young.

A panoramic view of the park and surrounding area in DB reveals the various land uses in the neighborhood. There were several auto shops along DeRoode Street 

mixed in with residential housing. There was a dumpster truck rental business and the Nathaniel Methodist Mission which housed medical, dental, eye, and veterinary 

clinics. The bottom of the photo shows the concrete storm drain culvert. Obscured from view because of a tree line was a large metal recycling business.

© 2003 Juliana McDonald.
LEXIN

KENT

Davis P

18 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

Government (LFUCG) in 2007, 

cemented the NPEP plan to extend the 

Newtown Pike in a just and equitable 

fashion. After a long history beginning 

in the 1950s of flawed and unsuccessful 

planning, this agreement—along 

with extensive community member 

involvement—promised to build a road 

and rebuild the DB neighborhood. The 

roadway project planned to improve 

downtown traffic conditions, the downtown 

pedestrian and bicycling environment, 

access to the University of Kentucky (UK), 

and the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods, all without placing an undue 

burden on a minority low income neighborhood. To protect the DB neighborhood, the 

project team decided to purchase 25 acres 

of DB as the NPEP mitigation area and 

place the land in a community land trust 

(CLT) that would rebuild and protect the 

affordable housing and other neighborhood 

amenities for the benefit of current and 

future residents. Acquisition of properties in 

the mitigation area began immediately after 

the ROD was signed.

The NPEP has greatly benefited from 

the personnel who have overseen the 

project. The project team, a diverse group of 

transportation professionals, city planners, 

historians, social workers, and anthropologists, has held a steadfast commitment 

to the project’s equity and environmental 

justice principles. These principles 

included providing residents impacted by 

NPEP with a voice in the project’s mitigation approach, affordable housing, and 

respectful and fair treatment. Their work 

helped ensure that the NPEP has provided 

a cleaner environment, new infrastructure, 

and channels for community dialogue while 

protecting local residents and the integrity 

of DB. This commitment endures into 

the present. Shane Tucker, appointed in 

2018 as the fourth NPEP Project Manager, 

understands that the project’s end goal is 

not just opening a road, it is a commitment 

to the residents of DB, to ensure that a 

long-neglected community has a meaningful 

voice in the development project.

Davis Bottom 1865–2006

From its roots as a postbellum neighborhood, DB developed into a vibrant, tightknit, and diverse community with a strong 

sense of independence and self-sufficiency. 

DB, located west of downtown Lexington, 

was named after Willard Davis, a white 

antislavery attorney who established the 

area between 1865–1867 with Rudolph 

DeRoode, a white music teacher. (See the 

phasing map.) DB received the “bottom” 

moniker because the area was considered “bottomland,” flood-prone land 

in the lowest part of Lexington. Davis 

and DeRoode built homes there to sell 

to Black families that made weekly rent 

payments in lease-to-own arrangements. 

By 1900, according to Heather M. Dollins’ 

2011 study East End and Davis Bottom: 

a Study of The Demographic And Landscape Changes Of Two Neighborhoods in 

Lexington, Kentucky, the U.S. Census listed 

941 persons in 215 households in DB, with 

62 percent Black and 38 percent white.

Above: The phasing map for Newtown Pike Extension 

mitigation area in 2013. Phase I included moving 

residents into interim housing while replacement 

housing was constructed. Phase II involved the 

transfer of the remainder of the mitigation area 

to the LCLT and was completed in 2020. Phase III 

extends Oliver Lewis Way from South Broadway 

to South Limestone and has not been built. 

Phase IV extended Newtown Pike (Oliver Lewis Way) 

to Versailles Road and was completed in 2010.

© 2013 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

Left: Phase I residences. The tops of the interim onsite 

housing can be seen in the upper portion of the 

photo. A white overlay displays where replacement 

housing will be built along the new DeRoode Street.

© Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

Nathaniel Methodist Mission was a cornerstone of 

the neighborhood, providing free after-school care, 

medical, eye, dental, and veterinary care to those who 

could not afford it. In addition to religious services, 

it also provided a food bank and art classes.

© 2004 Juliana McDonald.

Rare 1940 Works Progress Administration (WPA) photograph of DeRoode Street in Davis Bottom from 

West High Street viaduct. DeRoode Street, at the forefront of the photo, was paved by the WPA. 

© 1940 Van Deren Coke.
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During the 1930s, DB saw a number 

of developments. White families from 

Eastern Kentucky began to migrate to DB 

and needed affordable housing. The Works 

Progress Administration paved DeRoode 

Street and constructed a major storm sewer 

parallel to it. Three social and cultural 

anchors were also established: the Nathaniel 

Methodist Mission (founded in 1934 on 

DeRoode Street), the George Washington 

Carver Elementary School (built adjacent 

to DB in 1936), and a small community 

green space (informally known as “The 

Park” until it was adopted by the city of 

Lexington as Southend Park in 1980). In 

the late 1940s, this space became a focal 

point of everyday life in DB including children’s activities, family reunions, and church 

revivals. Local and traveling baseball teams, 

“just like the Cincinnati Reds” as one elder 

recalled, played games on the green space’s 

baseball diamond.

In the following decades, DB faced 

numerous challenges. From the 1950s 

onward, the construction of tobacco 

warehouses and other businesses in this 

area gradually destroyed housing, negatively 

impacting the social fabric of the neighborhood. The threats of destruction from 

roadway projects in 1958 and 1971 took its 

toll. In 1980, the Lexington Leader (now 

known as the Lexington Herald-Leader) 

newspaper dubbed DB as the “Valley of 

Neglect” in a series about conditions there 

and an adjacent neighborhood, Irishtown. 

The article described a high percentage of 

absentee landlords who neglected housing 

upkeep due to plans to extend Newtown 

Pike. Many houses in DB had no plumbing 

or heating. Residents endured mosquito 

and rodent infestations. DB also had public 

health and environmental hazards, such as 

a storm sewer that regularly flooded and an 

unregulated scrapyard. As a result, residents, 

property owners, and government officials 

remained uncertain about the neighborhood’s future.

In 1997, the NPEP resurfaced as a 

transportation priority. Given the history 

of this neighborhood, KYTC leadership 

knew any plan to extend Newtown Pike was 

inextricably linked to preserving DB. This 

time there was no doubt the road would be 

built. The NPEP project team formed in the 

late 1990s to begin the planning process. 

In 2001, a project consultant developed a 

corridor plan that aimed to redevelop DB 

as a residential neighborhood and remove 

the industrial zoning. The plan also made 

a commitment that the project’s adverse 

effects would be mitigated “to the highest 

degree.” In 2003, the same consultant 

planned out the new neighborhood (called 

the Southend Park Urban Village Plan), 

creating new development design standards 

that added sidewalks, streetlights, elements 

of streetscape, and bus stops. A new park 

and community center were central to 

the plans. Initial onsite interim housing 

for current DB residents would protect 

community cohesion while a newly created 

CLT would build replacement housing for 

the displaced residents in a redesigned and 

rezoned neighborhood. In addition to the 

mitigation of the neighborhood itself, the 

project would build a noise wall, a new 

storm culvert, and remove hazardous waste. 

The final NPEP plan, as agreed upon in the 

ROD, divided the project into 4 phases.

As the NPEP plans became public, DB 

faced threats from real estate speculators 

that could harm the community’s social 

fabric. As a result, when 12 occupied rental 

houses owned by an estate became available, 

the NPEP project team negotiated with the 

estate administrator to hold the properties 

until right-of-way funds were authorized to 

acquire them. This agreement prevented the 

displacement of current renters, stabilizing 

the DB neighborhood. These renters could 

remain until interim housing was provided 

during Phase I of the NPEP. Other property 

was needed earlier to prepare the interim 

housing site. Without interim housing, 

construction could not begin on replacement housing that would be offered to the 

displaced DB residents. David Whitworth, 

Engineering and Operations Team Leader 

in the Kentucky Division of the FHWA, 

approved these early acquisitions, so the 

project could move forward into Phase I.

Despite the project team’s initial plans 

and actions, DB residents remained defensive and skeptical towards the NPEP. By the 

time project planning gained momentum 

around 2006, DB had an estimated 

population of 56 people—mostly older, 70 

percent white and 30 percent Black, living 

in 30 households. Residents were distrustful 

of the local government, remembering 

Lexington’s history of passing them over 

for improvement projects. In surveys, they 

expressed a desire to remain in the neighborhood but feared that the NPEP planning 

process would exclude them and ignore the 

impact the roadway project would have 

on their quality of life. The project team 

recognized they needed to win the trust of 

the local community and develop a better 

relationship with its residents for the project 

to succeed.

DeRoode Street photographed from the West High 

Street viaduct in March 1979. The Nathaniel Methodist 

Mission can be seen at the end of the street. This 

photo was originally published as part of the “Valley 

of Neglect” series by the Lexington Leader (later 

known as the Lexington Herald-Leader) in 1980. 

Beginning in 2008, existing homes were demolished, 

and the NPEP began building new homes. 

Posted by the Lexington Herald-Leader on October 1, 2017. 

https://kyphotoarchive.com/2017/10/01

/irishtown-davis-bottom-1979-2017/

© 1979 Lexington Herald-Leader.

DeRoode Street in DB photographed from the West High Street viaduct looking south. The University of Kentucky’s 

Patterson Tower can be seen in the background. Nathaniel Methodist Mission can be seen at the end of the street.

© 2000 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
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Community Engagement Efforts

In mid-2002, a community liaison was 

hired and set up in an office in the Carver 

Center, formerly the George Washington 

Carver Elementary School, to facilitate 

communication with the DB residents. In 

her role, the liaison shared project news 

and information, led personal finance 

and home ownership classes, and held 

regular resident meetings with the NPEP 

team. In these meetings, residents were 

able to share project-related concerns and 

questions. She gave residents cameras to 

photograph what they loved about their 

neighborhood, further informing the 

project team about the residents and what 

features should be retained in their new 

neighborhood. Starting in June 2003, the 

community liaison and the NPEP team 

organized annual Community Unity Days, 

which included engagement activities, 

such as a historic tour of the neighborhood 

conducted by noted local African American historian Dr. Yvonne Giles and NPEP 

team-led development field tours. Project 

team members and their families along with 

residents and their families attended. These 

activities facilitated relationship building, 

allowing a relaxed environment for residents 

and NPEP team members to discuss the 

project and get to know each other better.

Historical Preservation and Public Outreach

In compliance with Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act, archaeological excavations in 2003–2004 revealed 

remains of structures and features from 

the late 1800s–1900s and an archival 

history further supported the historical 

significance of DB. Based on this information, the Kentucky Archaeological Survey 

(KAS) created innovative public outreach 

and educational resources for the project 

with a permanent website (https://www.

kentuckyarchaeologicalsurvey.org/davis-bottom/), 

including a digital media archive, excerpts 

from oral histories, photo collections, and 

historical resources. In addition, the KAS 

and Kentucky Heritage Council created 

an award-winning documentary titled 

“Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable 

Lives.” The documentary was subsequently 

shown at the Lexington Public Library and 

a historic downtown movie theater, The 

Kentucky. DVD copies of the documentary 

were provided to neighborhood residents 

and made available online. The documentary included interviews with current DB 

residents whose lives were being upended 

by the NPEP, allowing them to feel heard 

and express pride in their neighborhood. 

Resident involvement in the documentary 

eventually translated into more acceptance 

of the project.

Other plans exist for future DB historical 

preservation efforts. Four historic markers 

will be placed to document key sites and 

events in DB history. Stones from one of the 

oldest houses, hand built by a resident, will 

be exhibited in the new community center 

to honor DB elders.

The Community Land Trust

Sustainable affordable housing was the 

cornerstone of mitigating the impact of the 

NPEP. Unfortunately, due to lack of knowledge and expertise on the topic, the decision 

to choose which affordable-housing model 

proved to be the most difficult for members 

of the NPEP team, leading to discord. 

In the end, the project team employed 

a decision matrix to objectively evaluate 

possible affordable housing models, allowing 

members to visually see and identify the best 

solution. This process led to the adoption of 

the CLT model.

A CLT supports affordable housing and 

residents in many ways. A CLT removes 

land from the market and places it in a 

trust for the community, protecting public 

investment by keeping homes affordable 

for future buyers without additional public 

subsidy. This model thus ultimately benefits 

the wider community. With a focus on 

homeownership, families that live in CLT 

homes can build generational wealth. 

Carver Center on Patterson Street, formerly the George Washington Carver Elementary School.

© 2004 Juliana McDonald.

Project posters announcing Community Unity Day 

celebrations could be seen in the DB community 

every August when these events were held jointly 

with a community distribution of school supplies. 

The school supply distribution was typically 

sponsored by Kentucky Utilities and the YMCA. The 

remaining activities were sponsored by the NPEP.

© 2013 KYTC.

Stones from one of the DB’s oldest houses, handbuilt 

by a resident, will be exhibited to honor DB elders.

© 2014 Juliana McDonald.
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Homeowners enter a 99-year renewable 

lease giving them exclusive occupancy of the 

residential lot. The ground lease includes 

conditions and restrictions on financing, 

use, improvement, and resale of the house. 

Upon the resale of a CLT home, the seller 

receives all the equity derived from paying 

down the mortgage and any improvements 

that add to the home’s value. However, the 

equity based on the increase in market value 

(shared equity) a homeowner receives is 

restricted, limiting the price that a subsequent home buyer will pay thus keeping 

it affordable for future owners. A CLT 

supports homeowners, protecting against 

maintenance deferral and foreclosure. CLT 

homes are affordable because of the reduced 

purchase price. The rate of taxation is based 

on limitations in sales price imposed by the 

resale formula, not on the fair market value 

(FMV) of the home, making property taxes 

more fair and more affordable. The CLT 

also owns and leases permanently affordable rental units. Finally, CLTs encourage 

community member involvement in land 

use planning. (See Pamela Clay-Young and 

Steven Douglas Kreis’ 2020 report Social 

Justice Mitigation in Transportation Projects

at https://uknowledge.uky.edu

/ktc_researchreports/1688/.)

In mid-2003, a CLT consultant joined 

the NPEP and educated the team members 

about CLTs. He also facilitated public meetings to explain the model, bringing in residents from other CLTs to answer questions. 

The consultant led a steering committee 

composed of residents, members of the 

larger community who supported affordable 

housing, and project team members, which 

drafted bylaws for the soon to be formed 

Lexington Community Land Trust (LCLT). 

The NPEP team then took a number 

of steps to establish the LCLT organizationally and financially. The project team 

provided legal documents to incorporate 

New rental housing in Davis Park included two fourplexes.

© 2014 Pam Clay-Young.

New rental housing in Davis Park included two duplexes with a farm-house design 

made with clap-board style fiber cement siding with small porch entries on each side of 

the building.

© 2004 Juliana McDonald.

DECISION MATRIX

MUSTS WANTS

OPTIONS

Protects 

Housing 

Affordability 

Long term

Protects 

public 

financial 

investment 

long term

Involves 

community 

members 

in land 

ownership 

and land use 

planning

Holds and 

can transfer 

ownership of 

property

Protects 

neighborhood 

integrity

Can involve 

non-profits 

in housing 

development

Can provide 

rental units

Is selfsustaining

Has capacity 

to provide 

maintenance 

equipment

Has capacity 

to provide 

financial 

training

Has capacity 

to provide 

social support

Has capacity 

to provide 

economic 

support

RISKS TOTAL

Value 3 10 8 5 Probability Seriousness 198

CLT

2 10 7 4

M M 182

Deed 

Restrictions - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1

H H 26

Community 

Development 

Corporation - - - - 1 10 3 3

L H 142

6 100 56 20

3 10 8 5

3 100 24 15

The decision matrix used by the NPEP team to decide on the affordable housing model. Options considered were tested against services the team 

thought the model must provide. It also allowed a weighted consideration of the ability of the model to provide additional services. (Scale of 1–10, 

1 being less important, 10 being most important). The probability and seriousness of failure of the model was also factored in.

© Pam Clay-Young.
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the LCLT as a nonprofit in November 2008 

and assisted when the LCLT filed for the 

appropriate tax status. The project team 

committed funds for a community center 

with office space for the LCLT and provided 

seed money allowing it to operate until it 

becomes self-sustaining. The project team 

also allowed the LCLT to receive any funds 

derived from the sale of property acquired 

by the NPEP but no longer needed for the 

roadway after construction was completed. 

Later, the team utilized mitigation funds 

to address the issue of the cost to build the 

homeownership units being greater than 

their FMV, allowing affordable housing 

dollars to focus on reducing the selling price 

to income-qualified buyers.

Through the LCLT, the NPEP team 

implemented a number of measures to 

maintain replacement housing for current 

DB residents in the future neighborhood. 

The project team promised that any DB 

resident could remain in or return to the 

future neighborhood if they so desired. In 

accordance with the Uniform Act, those 

eligible for relocation benefits (rent and 

mortgage payments for new housing) 

would remain at previous levels. Renters 

who wanted to become homeowners would 

have the opportunity to do so. The NPEP 

team used mitigation funds (funds related 

to mitigating environmental impacts as 

documented in the environmental ROD) 

to extend rent subsidies to 10 years for 

those remaining in the neighborhood to 

provide long-term protection to renters. In 

addition to purchasing the DB 25 acres, the 

project paid to have the titles to the rental 

units vested in the LCLT in 15 years. Had 

the project not done so, ownership would 

vest in the developer when their tax credit 

funding term expires, and units would be 

sold or rented at market rates. Relocated 

homeowners were given a resale formula 

allowing them to capture a percentage of 

the equity (based on the increase in the 

FMV) equal to the ratio of their initial 

investment in the property. The seller 

will also receive an additional 5 percent 

of the down payment ratio to guarantee 

fairness. Otherwise, moving into conventionally funded housing would have been 

the better financial choice. In the future, 

the cost of this incentive payment will be 

offset by an LCLT-controlled fund that 

will reduce the resale price of those units at 

the time they are resold. The offset ensures 

the resale price of the house being sold 

will continue to be affordable to the next 

income-qualified buyer.

The NPEP team tailored the LCLT 

specifically to address the economic diversity 

of DB residents. In one instance, the LCLT 

partnered with Habitat for Humanity for 

one long-term renter who was able to save 

money and had relocation benefits, per the 

Uniform Act, yet could not afford a mortgage payment. The assistance of the Habitat 

Program and its volunteers, including the 

NPEP team members, brought the cost 

of the home down to the point that it was 

affordable for this resident without the need 

for a mortgage.

From the beginning, the LCLT was 

controversial with DB residents. Homeowners, or those who planned to become 

homeowners, did not like that they would 

not own the land. For Black residents, the 

LCLT plan reminded them of the long 

history of racial discrimination in land 

ownership. For Appalachian residents, the 

plan reminded them of land lost at the 

hands of extraction industries. The ongoing 

conflict between the project team and 

residents over the LCLT led Phil Logsdon, 

the KYTC environmental coordinator and a 

previous NPEP Project Manager, to suggest 

hiring an anthropologist. 

Developing Trust and Improving Community 

Involvement Using Anthropology

An anthropologist from the University of 

Kentucky (UK) conducted a social needs 

assessment and made recommendations 

about needs and perspectives of residents in 

a final report completed in 2006. The report 

included social characteristics, detailed 

information from community observations, 

mapping of existing activities and use of 

space, and informal social network analysis 

to understand the social fabric of life in DB. 

The anthropologist’s research found 

that residents had a steadfast attachment 

to history, place, and community in DB. 

Residents referred to themselves as “family” 

and “insiders” while nonresidents were 

“outsiders.” Residents insisted the neighborhood was “integrated before we knew 

what integration was,” as one said. DB 

had extensive social networks made up 

of families, kin, friends, and neighbors 

over generations. Although considered a 

low-income area, not everyone had the same 

economic circumstances. Many residents 

had good full-time jobs. A few residents 

suffered with chronic health problems, and 

the majority were elderly. The neighborhood 

operated as an informal economic system 

over generations. Residents bought, sold, 

bartered, or simply shared scarce resources, 

including food. Residents were protective of 

each other. “We take care of our own,” one 

resident said. This information helped the 

team understand the neighborhood in a way 

that was previously not articulated, creating 

a deeper connection between the team and 

the residents.

While the report was informative and 

useful, the data collection process transformed the project. The anthropologist 

employed a rapid qualitative method 

where project team members were trained 

to collect information in tape-recorded 

interviews. Working in pairs, team members 

visited homes of residents who were 

willing to participate, allowing them to 

freely express how they felt and what they The first home purchased by a DB resident was built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

© 2022 Pam Clay-Young.
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knew about the NPEP. Recordings were 

reviewed and themes were identified to 

investigate in successive rounds of interviews. This cost-effective method generated 

a great deal of useful information. These 

two-way conversations caused a significant 

shift in the project and radically changed 

how residents and team members engaged 

with each other. The team gained a deeper 

understanding of how residents were experiencing the NPEP and how the impacts were 

affecting them.

The project team instituted new practices 

based on the report’s recommendations, 

including increased, clearer, and more 

targeted two-way communication, particularly as it related to the LCLT and the future 

neighborhood. As a result, architects developed a method for including the community in decisions on the architectural style of 

homes and townhouses (e.g., porches were 

added to the designs). Neighbors had input 

into the redesign of a cul-de-sac and later 

selected street names for the reconstructed 

neighborhood. They also decided to name 

their new neighborhood Davis Park.

Opposition to the LCLT slowly lessened as better communication improved 

understanding of the model, particularly the 

financial details the project promised current 

residents. Though some residents did choose 

to use their Uniform Act relocation benefits to leave DB, other residents attended 

national CLT conferences, preparing to 

take on leadership roles. At the time of the 

LCLT’s incorporation, a tripartite board 

of directors was established with one-third 

composed of residents. With project 

assistance, the LCLT sponsored the 2015 

National CLT Conference, which included 

a neighborhood dinner and tour that 

highlighted the residents and new homes 

constructed in Davis Park. This conference 

gave residents professional opportunities to 

further learn and teach others about CLTs.

The NPEP engaged additional local 

expertise to support their work. A UK 

professor of psychiatry surveyed community 

resources in DB and made recommendations for social program development and 

social service delivery. These findings and 

recommendations were included in the 

social needs assessment report. As a result, 

the project team referred residents to job 

training programs and funded social workers 

who provided intervention and counseling 

services as well as prepared residents for 

their move into replacement housing. Local 

attorneys also provided free legal clinics for 

personal needs, such as wills, and later made 

pro bono legal representation available to 

DB residents eligible for relocation benefits 

under the Uniform Act during acquisition 

and relocation negotiations.

Interim Housing

Interim housing served as a crucial part of 

maintaining DB’s community cohesion 

during Phase I. The project team feared 

that if DB residents relocated elsewhere, 

they would never return. Interim housing 

provided necessary affordable alternative housing for residents during Phase I

construction and kept the neighborhood 

together while the original homes were 

demolished, and replacement housing 

was built.

In 2008, 16 new manufactured homes 

were moved into DB to serve as interim 

housing. Residents were told it would be 

for 2 years, free of rent or utility costs, and 

mitigation funds provided moving assistance. Most renters were grateful to move 

from neglected housing. Homeowners were 

not as happy as the reality of moving from 

Sixteen manufactured homes were placed in Southend Park as interim housing. Residents moved into interim 

housing in 2008. Each home came with all appliances, including a washer and dryer. Residents were not 

required to pay rent or necessary utilities as they prepared for their move into replacement housing.

© 2008 Juliana McDonald.

New rental units under construction 

during Phase I of the NPEP.

© Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

The NPEP mitigation area under construction. 

The noise wall can be seen on the right. The 

difference in elevation due to added fill can 

be seen in the center of the photograph.

© Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
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their long-term home became imminent. 

Everyone had a conflicted sense of loss and 

uncertainty about the future combined with 

a sense of cautious optimism. 

Interim housing and the roadway project 

caused issues for DB residents, requiring 

the NPEP team to innovate. For example, 

during the construction of Phase I, safety 

concerns prevented residents from traveling 

on foot to surrounding neighborhoods 

to which they previously had easy access. 

The project team, following a brainstorming session, authorized funds for 

purchase of prepaid cab fares to and from 

affected neighborhoods.

The inevitable complications typical 

of a large roadway project that the NPEP 

encountered prolonged the interim housing 

period. Hazardous-material mitigation 

meant removing 11,665 cubic feet of dirt. 

Plans also called for raising the elevation of 

the 25-acre mitigation area an average of 

5–10 feet to mitigate soil contamination 

and prevent flooding. The storm water 

culvert was relocated underground, a task 

made more difficult by the discovery of 

porous limestone. Federal Housing and 

Urban Development (HUD) regulations 

required a noise wall between the rail yard 

and neighborhood. Local leadership pressured the project to put connecting utility 

lines underground along the Newtown Pike 

extension and Main Street. All these efforts 

took much more time than was anticipated. 

A legal challenge to property acquisition 

required the then NPEP Project Manager, 

Stuart Goodpaster, to shift focus away from 

the project for a time. Hosting the 2010 

World Equestrian Games shifted the NPEP 

priority to Phase IV to connect Newtown 

Pike to Versailles Road, diverting attention away from the environmental justice 

mitigation in DB. What was intended to be 

2 years in interim housing for DB residents 

stretched into 6 years. These delays caused 

understandable anger and frustration among 

DB residents. Some changed their minds 

and decided to leave. The NPEP team 

continued to hold regular meetings with 

residents, giving them the space to vent their 

frustrations. In 2014, despite all obstacles, 

the LCLT’s replacement rental units finally 

became occupied, and the following year 

the first homeowners started moving into 

replacement homes.

Status of the NPEP Environmental 

Justice Mitigation Today

The NPEP mitigation efforts are still 

ongoing. Residents are now in the process 

of planning the details of the new neighborhood park, community building, and 

commercial property. In December 2020, 

the LCLT, KYTC, and LFUCG entered 

into an agreement outlining their respective 

responsibilities necessary to complete all 

environmental justice obligations, with a 

final completion date slated for June 2023.

Lessons Learned and Tools to Use

During the NPEP planning and project 

mitigation process, the project team 

did several things that helped in its ultimate success:

• Created a statement of guiding 

principles and commitments. This 

statement articulated the conscience of 

the project, expressing its core values 

and concrete goals, which served the 

project team well, especially in difficult 

times. Whenever the team disagreed 

about complicated mitigation 

decisions, these guiding principles 

were reviewed, so the team could 

consider all options that reflected the 

project’s core values.

• Established an independent advisory 

committee comprised of civic and 

government leaders who provided 

helpful advice and assistance whenever 

the project struggled in getting an 

objective accomplished.

• Formed an interdisciplinary 

team early on during the project, 

including outside professionals 

(e.g., anthropologists, city planners, 

social workers, affordable housing 

consultants, etc.)

There are certain lessons from NPEP 

applicable to future highway construction 

efforts when it comes to working with the 

local community:

• Emphasize effective communication 

with the community when 

making decisions.

• Be aware of the time and focus 

necessary to complete the project and 

address the needs of the neighborhood. 

• Look at the community’s history 

during the NEPA analysis to gain a 

deeper understanding of the residents.

• Thoroughly document all mitigation 

promises made to the community and 

keep that information easily accessible 

in case of staff turnover.

• Let residents voice concerns and 

vent. Listen to them; they will have 

good ideas.

• Employ decision matrices to arrive 

at objective and well thought out 

decisions. 

• Practice environmental justice in 

doing environmental mitigation by 

developing meaningful collaboration 

with the local community. There is 

a difference in being invited to the 

table, being given an opportunity to 

be heard, and being given the power to 

make decisions. 

FHWA produced two videos (a short 

Oliver Lewis Way (part of the NPEP corridor) at the far left photographed from the West High Street viaduct. 

Oliver Lewis Way connects Newtown Pike to South Broadway. The UK’s Patterson Tower can be seen in the 

background. On the right, rental units and individually owned homes in Davis Park can be seen. This housing was 

created by the NPEP and the LCLT to replace previous homes in DB (a neighborhood dating back to 1865).

© 2021 Pam Clay-Young.
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WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 25

and longer version) titled “The Road that 

Rebuilt a Neighborhood” that give additional insight into lessons learned from the 

NPEP. These videos describe how Federal, 

State, and local agencies can collaborate to 

create “effective transportation planning, 

project development, and design [that] can 

preserve and enhance the quality of life.”

Ultimately, the NPEP has been about 

doing the right thing for the residents it 

impacted. As James Ballinger, the first 

NPEP Project Manager and current KYTC 

State highway engineer, put it, “The NPEP 

was initially conceived as a transportation 

project; however, it rightfully transitioned 

into a successful community project because 

environmental justice was embraced by 

the project team.” More importantly, as 

Kenneth Demus, a third-generation Davis 

Park resident and vice president of the 

LCLT board of directors, says, “It was hard, 

but it was worth it.”

For more information go to:

http://ktc.uky.edu/npe-main/

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/livability/resources 

/newtown_pike/index.cfm

https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads 

/winter-2018/advancing-environmental-justice 

https://www.youtube.com 

/watch?v=zGAbX_rFR5Y

PAM CLAY-YOUNG, J.D., is a researcher at the UK’s 

Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) and formerly 

an attorney with the KYTC. She has been a NPEP 

team member from 2003 to the present. She 

graduated from the University of Louisville Brandeis 

School of Law.

JULIANA MCDONALD, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the UK. She has been an 

NPEP consultant and team member since 2005. 

She earned a Ph.D. from the UK in 2000.

SHANE TUCKER, B.S., is an Engineering 

Technologist III at the KYTC. Since 2018, he has 

served as NPEP Project Manager. He holds a 

B.S. in Construction Management from Eastern 

Kentucky University. 

DAVID WHITWORTH, M.P.A, is an Engineering & 

Operations Team Leader with FHWA’s Kentucky 

Division. David received a B.S. in Civil Engineering 

from Tennessee Technological University and an 

M.P.A. from the UK. He is the longest serving NPEP 

team member.

BERNADETTE DUPONT, M.S., is a Transportation 

Specialist with FHWA’s Kentucky Division. She 

received a B.S. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from 

the UK. She also holds a graduate certificate in 

Environmental Systems from the UK. She was the 

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) representative on the HUD/USDOT/U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency Sustainable Communities Team. 

In this position, she helped develop two FHWA 

videos on the NPEP.

Acknowledgements:

The authors would like to thank the following for 

their contribution to the article: John Ballantyne, 

FHWA Kentucky Division; Andrew Grunwald, M.S., 

LFUCG; Robin Baskette, B.S., M.A., Purdue University; and Michael Mabe, B.F.A., KTC.

Kenneth Demus photographed at his new home on DeRoode Street. Kenneth is the third of five generations 

of the Demus family to have lived in DB, now known as Davis Park. Demus became a homeowner and serves 

as vice president of the LCLT board of directors. He also serves as an ambassador for Grounded Solutions, 

a national network of CLT organizations, traveling around the country educating people about CLTs.

© 2021 Pam Clay-Young.
WRITE FOR PUBLIC ROADS!

Public Roads offers FHWA and State department of transportation staff an avenue for 

communicating both technical and general-interest topics with peers (such as engineers, 

scientists, and economists) and other stakeholders across the highway industry.

Other Federal agencies, local and Tribal DOTs, field researchers and practitioners, and academia 

may also submit content for Public Roads but are encouraged to collaborate with FHWA and 

State DOTs.

Check out our Writing for Public Roads: How-to Guide to learn about the many ways you can 

contribute to Public Roads. From full-length feature articles to 200-word summaries, you can 

choose the option that best fits the information you want to share. 

To access the guide and learn more about article types, submission 

deadlines, and requirements, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/

publicroads/author.cfm.

Questions? Contact us at PublicRoads@dot.gov.

© suriyasilsaksom / iStock.com.
We follow signs every day–where to enter, exit, and stop, and how fast to 

drive. Signs are crucial for guidance and safety, but especially those in work 

zones. Work zones are a necessary part of maintaining the Nation’s roads 

and bridges. Reducing speed protects not only the public from crashes and 

fatalities but also the workers who spend their days on the road.

When you see a work zone, think safety 

first and follow these tips:

• Slow down and follow posted speed limits

• Watch for workers and equipment

• Keep your eyes on the road

• Plan your trip in advance

For more information and resources, visit 

FHWA’s Work Zone Management website at 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/workzones and the National 

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse at 

https://www.workzonesafety.org/meetings-and-events

/wz-awareness-week/

NATIONAL WORK ZONE AWARENESS WEEK 

APRIL 11-15, 2022 

WORK ZONES ARE A 

SIGN TO SLOW DOWN

© jhansen2 / AdobeStock.com.
28 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

Public Information and Information Exchange

TDOT Awards Most Expensive Highway Project 

in Its History

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) awarded the Interstate 65 widening project—the expansion of 9.68 

miles (15.87 kilometers) of major roadway—to a local contractor 

for $160 million. Though $160 million was the lowest bid for this 

project, it narrowly exceeds the $152 million awarded for Tennessee’s 2018 Interstate 440 Reconstruction Project, making it the 

largest contract awarded for a TDOT project to date.

The I-65 widening project, due for completion in 2025, will 

improve safety and traffic operations and will provide the growing 

communities along the corridor the room needed to reduce 

congestion. I-65 enters Tennessee from Alabama, near the city of 

Ardmore, TN, and runs just south of Franklin, KY, and serves the 

State’s largest city, Nashville.

Between Nashville and the Kentucky state line, the existing 

route is virtually two lanes in each direction. The widening project 

will encompass the construction of additional travel lanes in both 

directions as well as the replacement and widening of bridges, the 

replacement of overpasses, the construction of nearly 17 retaining 

walls, the conversion of a weigh station into truck parking, and 

the installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems facilities to 

improve safety, productivity, and mobility.

For more information, visit https://www.tn.gov/tdot

/news/2021/9/2/tdot-awards-largest-project-in-its-history.html.

Wisconsin DOT adds Rustic Roads to Its 

Pool of GIS Road Systems

The Rustic Road system in Wisconsin is a group of scenic roads that are bordered by natural, picturesque features—native 

vegetation and wildlife, and rugged terrain—and are typically 

meant for slower, more relaxed travel.

Along the Road is the place to look for information about current and upcoming activities, developments, trends, and items of general interest to the 

highway community. This information comes from U.S. Department of Transportation sources unless otherwise indicated. Your suggestions and input 

are welcome. Let’s meet along the road.

Widening of the I-65 corridor near State Route 25 to near State Route 

109 will improve traffic safety and reduce congestion in Tennessee.

© Val Thoermer / AdobeStock.com.

The Rustic Road system in Wisconsin showcases 

an abundance of natural, picturesque features.

© EJRodriquez / AdobeStock.com.

ALONG THE ROAD
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 29

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) 

announced that the 123 designated Rustic Roads in Wisconsin—

spanning 743 miles (1,196 kilometers) collectively—are now a 

part of the State’s collection of geographical information system 

(GIS) maps (https://wisdot.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html). The 

Wisconsin Rustic Roads category is just one of the many types of 

interactive maps offered by WisDOT to make information more 

accessible to the public and to aid in a variety of decisions, from 

where to take a scenic route to where to establish a business. Other 

GIS map categories include Adopt-A-Highway, Culvert Inventory, 

Disadvantaged Businesses, WisDOT Traffic Counts TCMap, and 

Asphalt Pricing. Users can easily search and download GIS data in 

various formats to meet their needs.

WisDOT also provides geospatial data (for use with GIS 

software and tools) free of charge through WisDOT GIS Open 

Data (https://data-wisdot.opendata.arcgis.com/). This self-service 

website provides access to authoritative GIS data commonly 

requested by staff, agency partners, and the public.

CDOT Preps for a Record 100 Mile Bike Lane Expansion

I

n September 2021, the Chicago Department of Transportation 

(CDOT) announced its plans to embark upon the biggest bike 

lane expansion project in its history—the installation of 100 miles 

(161 kilometers) of new and upgraded bike lanes over a two-year 

period. This addition will boost the city’s total available on-street 

bikeways to 400 miles (644 kilometers).

The announcement, alongside the release of the actual blueprints, underscored CDOT’s emphasis on safety, accessibility, 

community-led planning, and connected neighborhood networks. 

CDOT consulted with community stakeholders on expanding 

bike infrastructure and will utilize protected bike lanes for physical 

protection from passing traffic, among other approaches. To help 

connect people with meaningful destinations, the city’s Divvy bikeshare system is increasing its fleet of bikes by expanding its service 

area to the newly installed lanes and adding 3,500 electric assist 

bikes to its fleet, on top of the 3,500 e-bikes deployed in 2020.

For more information, visit https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts

/cdot/provdrs/bike/news/2021/september/cdot-announces-biggest-bike

-lane-expansion-in-city-s-history-thr.html.

Screenshot of the Wisconsin Rustic Roads GIS map.

© Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

CDOT’s expansion includes the installation of new 

and upgraded bike lanes over a two-year period.

© imnoom / AdobeStock.com.
30 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

Technical News

FHWA Publishes “Dig Once” Final Rule to Promote Broadband Access

The Federal Highway Administration published the Broadband Infrastructure Deployment final rule that supports the “dig 

once” approach with the installation of broadband technology 

during road construction and utility projects. This rule promotes 

the minimization of costs and traveling disruptions for the public 

and requires State departments of transportation to identify 

broadband utility coordinators and processes by which to register 

broadband entities.

Broadband technology provides high-speed internet, and faster 

internet speeds equate to a stronger internet connection and ability 

to access information.

With improved access, underserved communities can secure 

opportunities to learn and work remotely. Other probable benefits 

include increased access to healthcare and mental health resources, 

additional means of income and financial stability, increased 

access to higher education, improved mental health and overall 

well-being, increased social and emotional connections, and access 

to other essential services and communications. Digging once 

also works toward advancing a safer highway system; as crews lay 

the fiber optic cables to extend broadband capabilities, they too 

can lay the wirework needed to enable communication between 

automated vehicles.

For more information, visit https://highways.dot.gov

/newsroom/fhwa-publishes-final-rule-promote-broadband-access

-underserved-communities.

Policy and Legislations

Pennsylvania Offers New License Option for Visually Impaired Drivers

Effective September 2021, visually impaired residents of Pennsylvania can begin using bioptic telescope lenses to meet the visual 

acuity standards required to obtain a Bioptic Telescope learner’s 

permit and driver’s license.

Bioptic telescope lenses contain miniature telescopes, and aid 

in a driver’s ability to hone in on objects while driving, including 

traffic lights, stop signs, and other road signage. Telescopic 

lenses are not consistently looked through while driving; they 

support safe driving practices similar to a vehicle’s rear-view and 

side mirrors.

The use of bioptic telescope lenses while driving is legal in 46 

other U.S. States. For Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department 

of Transportation (PennDOT) developed a training program and 

licensing process which includes the completion of a minimum 

of 20 hours of behind-the-wheel driver training using the bioptic 

telescope with a PennDOT approved driving instructor or 

rehabilitation specialist.

Additional prerequisites and conditions are required to be met 

before and after a permit or license is issued. For instance, bioptic 

telescope drivers may only drive during daylight hours (with a few 

exceptions), are limited to roads other than freeways, and may only 

drive passenger vehicles of a certain weight.

For more information, visit https://www.dmv.pa.gov/Driver

-Services/Driver-Licensing/Pages/Driving-with-Bioptics.aspx.

The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment final rule encourages the installation 

of broadband technology during road construction and utility projects.

© Alex Potemkin / iStock.com.

ALONG THE ROAD
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 31

Colorado DOT Advances Its Plans for GHG Reduction

I

n December 2021, the Colorado Transportation Commission 

voted to approve the Colorado Department of Transportation’s 

(CDOT) greenhouse gas (GHG) planning standard, a transportation strategy that seeks to reduce GHG emissions and smog and to 

improve air quality. CDOT expects to notice GHG reductions by 

2030 that are equivalent to burning 169 million fewer gallons of 

gasoline or the absence of 300,000 cars from the road for a year.

According to the standard, CDOT and Colorado’s five 

metropolitan planning organizations will look to determine the 

total pollution and GHG emissions expected from each future 

transportation project during the early stages of development. 

This standard, according to CDOT, is the first in the country to 

consider the role of transportation planning in the reduction of 

GHG emissions.

This planning standard also paves the way for transportation 

strategies to routinely integrate air quality and quality of life 

initiatives into projects, to positively impact the environment of 

surrounding communities, and to provide travelers with a variety 

of transportation options (e.g., sidewalks/walking paths, bike lanes, 

and connectivity to transit facilities).

For more information, visit https://www.codot.gov/programs

/environmental/greenhousegas.

Internet Watch

CTDOT Launches New Vision Zero Council Website for Safety and Public Engagement

I

n December 2021, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) launched a new website to serve several 

important purposes: Host the work of the Vision Zero Council; 

provide a wide variety of traffic safety information; and encourage 

the public’s participation in eliminating roadway injuries 

and fatalities.

The Vision Zero Council was established by the Connecticut 

General Assembly in 2021 and is an interagency work group 

comprised of commissioners (or their designees) from Connecticut’s departments of Public Health, Emergency Services and Public 

Protection, Motor Vehicles, Education, Aging and Disability 

Services, Office of Early Childhood as well as CTDOT and the 

Division of Criminal Justice. This group is tasked with developing 

statewide policy to eliminate transportation-related fatalities 

and severe injuries involving pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, 

motorists, and passengers. The Vision Zero website was launched 

to keep the Vision Zero Council members, safety stakeholders, and 

the public abreast of Connecticut’s Vision Zero activities.

The Vision Zero Council website also encourages public 

engagement in that it provides access to council meeting materials 

(e.g., meeting minutes, recordings, and presentations); opportunities to participate in Vision Zero activities and initiatives; means 

to communicate with the Vision Zero Council; and opportunities 

to serve on subcommittees concerning engineering, enforcement, 

education, emergency management services, and equity.

For more information, visit https://portal.ct.gov/DOT/

VisionZeroCouncil/WhatIsTheVisionZeroCouncil. 

Internet Watch - Update

Additional information on the article “Internet Watch - 

Complete Streets Website” in the Winter 2022 issue is available 

at https://highways.dot.gov/complete-streets. Contact Anthony 

Boutros at anthony.boutros@dot.gov for more information about 

this initiative.

The pollution standard is the first in the country to consider 

the role of transportation planning to reduce GHG emissions.

© Colorado Department of Transportation / Flickr.

The Vision Zero Council of Connecticut webpage launched in 2021 to 

encourage public participation and to serve as a communication portal.

© Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).
32 | PUBLIC ROADS | SPRING 2022

Learn How to Mitigate Challenges 

and Conflict in Utility Coordination

by JULIE JOHNSTON and SABRINA SYLVESTER

Many public and private utility organizations participate in utility construction projects. Many of these projects 

involve the accommodation or relocation of utilities. Scheduling and budgeting conflicts are common challenges with 

utility construction.

To avoid the pitfalls in utility construction projects, learn the 

best techniques to coordinate utility activities—virtually—from 

the comfort of your own home or office.

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) National 

Highway Institute (NHI) now offers two utility coordination 

courses that provide paths and strategies on mitigating and 

avoiding common project challenges.

Course participants will be able to explain the importance of 

early and effective cooperation, communication, and coordination 

with regard to utility-related activities. Participants will also learn 

how to identify successful techniques to avoid these challenges 

throughout the project development and delivery process, and how 

to explain the impacts of conflicts or issues later identified on a 

project’s schedule or budget.

Updated Prerequisite Course

The Introduction to Utility Coordination for Highway Projects

(FHWA-NHI-134006A) is Web-based training where course 

participants will learn about regulatory utility requirements, 

subsurface utility engineering, and their State’s Utility 

Accommodation Policy.

At the end of the course, participants will know how to predict 

utility-related complications and mitigate their impact at the right 

time. This knowledge and action will reduce unforeseen 

disruptions to the timeline and budget of the project.

Virtual Utility Course

The Utility Coordination for Highway Projects (FHWA-NHI134006V) course continues teaching how to mitigate utility 

challenges. This virtual instructor-led training teaches people 

how to identify utility risks and issues and then evaluate ways to 

avoid or mitigate them. Course participants will also learn how to 

explain the skills necessary to identify utility conflicts.

This course teaches participants how to develop a personal 

resource toolkit for six major areas of project development, 

including: planning, design, environmental considerations, 

right-of-way, construction, and maintenance. The course requires 

completion of the prerequisite training (FHWA-NHI-134006A).

If you are a U.S. Department of Transportation contractor, risk 

manager, right-of-way staff member, mid-to-senior level manager, 

or engineering consultant involved in the accommodation or 

relocation of utilities, then these courses are designed for you.

How to Attend or Host a Course

NHI invites professionals interested in earning continuing 

education units or professional development hours to 

visit http://bit.ly/NHIHome and browse the complete digital 

course catalog. The catalog lists more than 400 courses in 

19 program areas.

To sign up for email alerts and to see when a particular course 

session is available, visit the description page for that course and 

then click on “Sign Up for Session Alerts” link.

Interested hosts can submit a Host Request Form or find more 

information about hosting NHI courses by visiting http://bit.ly

/NHIHome.

NHI is an approved Accredited Provider by the International 

Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). As 

an IACET Accredited Provider, NHI offers continuing education 

units for its programs that qualify under the American National 

Standards Institute/IACET Standard.

JULIE JOHNSTON is the program manager for Utility and Value Engineering 

for FHWA.

SABRINA SYLVESTER is a contracted senior marketing specialist for NHI.

Source: FHWA.

Utility managers review transportation project efforts.

© Andrey Popov / Shutterstock.com.

TRAINING UPDATE
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