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OR Department of Transportation Honored for Environmental Excellence

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 21:00 CDT

Environmentally friendly and sustainable efforts earned the Oregon Department of Transportation high marks from an association of transportation officials, who on Sunday gave the department one of three awards lauding best practices and the only one hailing environmental progress.

ODOT's award, Best Program for Highway Excellence, was one of three prizes given out by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in its Best Practices in Context Sensitive Solutions competition.

ODOT was recognized by the association for its implementation of the Context Sensitive and Sustainable Solutions, or CS3, initiative as part of a state bridge delivery program.

ODOT's interim director, Lorna Youngs, accepted the award Sunday at an AASHTO awards breakfast in Nashville, Tenn.

CS3 is the operating philosophy of ODOT's bridge program, which aims to stimulate the state's economy, perform work cost- effectively and efficiently, keep traffic moving, be sensitive to communities and landscapes and capitalize on funding opportunities. Through the Oregon Transportation Investment Act bridge delivery program, ODOT will repair or replace hundreds of bridges that the agency has deemed critical to the flow of commerce in Oregon. To ensure that all participants are aligned with the program's goals and values, ODOT trains and certifies all firms working on the program.

AASHTO, a nonprofit association that works to foster development, operation and maintenance of an integrated, nationwide transportation system, chose ODOT's CS3 implementation over 75 applications from 33 states.

Source: Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR)

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