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1C h a p t e r 1 philosophy and Overview of the Shrp 2 Capacity program The overall goals for the SHRP 2 Capacity program are to develop approaches and tools for systematically integrating the environmental, economic, and community concerns into highway design and capacity. The objective is to expedite the provision of highway capacity while simultaneously address- ing economic, community, and environmental objectives associated with new construction. To this end, research has focused on development of tools, data, guidance, and other resources that support a collabora- tive model for making decisions for capacity projects. The cen- tral work of the SHRP 2 Capacity program is a web-based tool that provides extensive data and guidance on collaborative decision making in the development of new highway capacity. This web tool, Transportation for CommunitiesâAdvancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP), is designed to serve as the portal to many of the other SHRP 2 Capacity research products, including an Integrated Ecological Framework (IEF). The IEF was developed to serve as a primary resource for those seeking to balance transportation needs with environmental protection. Historically, transportation professionals have focused on avoiding and minimizing environmental impacts, but current thinking suggests that if mitigation is understood and approached from a perspective of integrated ecological systems, there may be a greater return for the environment. For example, the IEF would be helpful for agencies that wanted to advance conservation planning in concert with transporta- tion planning. tCapp and IeF pilot projects Introduction Two SHRP 2 Capacity pilot-project requests for proposals (RFPs) were released in 2010 to test the premises of both TCAPP and the IEF. SHRP 2 Capacity Project C18 offered funds to state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that would be willing to test TCAPP. SHRP 2 Capacity Project C21 offered funding to transportation and environmental agencies to test the IEF. Pilot testing represents an early and important validity check for the tools and concepts that have been developed in the SHRP 2 research program prior to full roll- out and implementation. The objectives of the TCAPP pilot projects were to (a) test the content and functionality of TCAPP; (b) apply the col- laborative decision-making principles and practices and assess how well they work; (c) test any of the attributes of other projects related to TCAPP alone and in combinations; and (d) provide an independent evaluation. The objectives of the IEF pilot projects were to (a) apply some or all of the steps and tools within the integration frame- work with a focus on providing improvement to conservation and transportation planning for a project, set of projects, or a plan; (b) apply the collaboration guidance elements of TCAPP that would be useful to the proposed tests under item (a); (c) submit the results of analyses to regulatory agencies for review, thereby testing the acceptability of results; and (d) sub- mit an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of IEF- related products and the collaboration tools in TCAPP. The purpose of this report is to present an overview of the TCAPP and IEF pilot studies and to highlight and syn- thesize key findings of the research. There were four pilot studies selected to test TCAPP and four pilot studies selected to test the IEF. The TCAPP pilot studies were awarded to 1. The Washington State DOT; 2. The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) in Washing- ton State; 3. The Pikeâs Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) in Colorado; and 4. The Minnesota DOT. Introduction and Purpose of the Synthesis Report
2The IEF pilot studies were awarded to 1. Colorado State University; 2. The Rogue Valley Council of Governments in Oregon; 3. University of California, Davis, Road Ecology Center; and 4. West Virginia University Research Corporation. Following award of the contracts, the selected TCAPP pilot- project recipients were invited to TRB to attend a kickoff meet- ing. At that meeting, an introductory tour of the TCAPP website was presented and objectives of the pilot projects were reviewed. A parallel kickoff meeting was held for IEF pilot-project awardees, with the focus being an overview of the IEF. Interim meetings (via webinar) also were held with both TCAPP and IEF pilot-project team members. During these interactive meetings, TRB staff and TCAPP/IEF contractors were present to record comments, and this feedback was immediately woven back into the work under way on the TCAPP and IEF web tools. A third opportunity for interaction occurred in concert with the SHRP 2 Capacity Transportation Coordi- nating Committee (TCC) meetings, where both sets of teams presented their interim comments and study findings. Finally, two wrap-up sessions were held at TRB to allow the pilot study teams to present their final comments and share their results. This interaction among the entities working on beta versions of TCAPP and the IEF and entities using TCAPP and the IEF resulted in a continuous stream of improvements for TCAPP and the IEF throughout the pilot study time frames. From the kickoff meeting through the wrap-up sessions, some of the pilot teams interfaced with the TCAPP contrac- tors via e-mail on an as-needed basis. This exchange provided input as well as progress updates. At the kickoff meeting, the need for interface between the individual teams during the course of the pilot tests was identified. The TCAPP forum was expanded and enhanced to meet this request for support. Chapter 2 presents an overview of each pilot project, including a project summary, an overview of the tested ele- ments of TCAPP, and highlights of outcomes and lessons learned. Chapter 3 addresses findings in a combined sense, with a synthesis discussion of factors for success, benefits of a collaborative approach, and lessons learned. Chapter 4 cites conclusions and gives an overview of recommended changes to TCAPP and the IEF. It also cites the process by which changes were and are being made. Summaries of the Tested Elements As of the time of this writing, both TCAPP and the IEF are still in beta version with a number of enhancements and improve- ments still under way. The elements tested for each product were refined even during the course of the pilot testsâfor example, in response to a request for additional functional capability in some area. Transportation for CommunitiesâAdvancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP) The main objective of the TCAPP pilot studies was to test TCAPP while it was still under development and to use feed- back obtained to modify the product and enhance its useful- ness to practitioners. In addition, the TCAPP pilot studies offered an opportunity to try the self-assessment tools and determine the effectiveness of the collaborative decision- making framework. The purpose of TCAPP is to provide access to the Decision Guide framework for collaborative decision making. The underlying premise is that collabora- tion is necessary to effectively and efficiently develop trans- portation capacity projects. The additional information in TCAPP on special topics, such as the IEF, provides users with support for a preferred planning process. Tested elements included ⢠Self-assessment tools (collaboration assessment): Pilot tested to determine its ability to gauge strength of partner collabo- ration and stakeholder collaboration; ⢠User portal: Pilot tested to ascertain the pertinence of role definitions, partner and stakeholder interests, and frame- work for decision making; ⢠Decision Guide: Pilot tested as a means to apply collabora- tive Decision Guide framework to real-world projects and processes; ⢠Applications: Pilot tested to determine the usefulness of transportation phases and special topics chapter; and ⢠Library: Pilot tested to check applicability of case studies, reports, documents, and other linked sites. The pilot studies tested different elements of the Decision Guide, depending on the transportation plan or project under way. To illustrate which key decisions were tested for each project, this report will highlight the key decisions by using the TCAPP Decision Guide framework shown in Figure 1.1. Integrated Ecological Framework (IEF) The IEF pilot studies were asked to test the IEF, which is con- tained on the TCAPP website. The purpose of the nine-step IEF is to bring natural resource data into transportation pro- cesses efficiently, thereby leading to more informed decisions. It was designed to help partner agencies identify potential impacts early in the planning process and ensure that mitiga- tion is effective and measurable. Data, analysis, and key deci- sions from the IEF can then be integrated into the overall process laid out in the TCAPP Decision Guide. Each IEF pilot project proposed testing specific steps of the IEF. To illustrate which steps were tested for each project, this report will highlight the steps by using the IEF shown in Figure 1.2.
3Figure 1.1. Decision Guide framework for TCAPP. Figure 1.2. Integrated Ecological Framework (IEF). INTEGRATED ECOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
