In recent years, environmental considerations associated with transportation projects have been incorporated earlier in the overall planning process. Department staff is conducting more environmental prescreening analyses in the systems-level planning process and working to improve the Purpose and Need statements that represent the first phase of project development. Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for projects that have a significant impact on the environment. The EIS includes impacts on wetlands, wildlife, water quality, historic properties, and public lands. In many cases, new location highway projects pose the greatest challenge for meeting NEPA requirements due to the obvious impacts created in undeveloped areas. Environmental complications and project complexities have overwhelmed resources and put state and federal agencies at odds with one another over how to best balance project delivery versus protecting endangered species or sensitive ecological areas. NCDOT has established itself as a national leader in this field by working to build consensus among parties and identifying mutual goals that lead to a streamlined process. These efforts have resulted in the creation of an Office of Environmental Quality and application of a highly recognized Environmental Stewardship Policy.

NCDOT and its partners are also working towards achieving nine streamlining goals which are intended to reduce time in the project planning and delivery process while maintaining a commitment to environmental excellence. The Strategic Highway Corridors initiative fits the tone of these efforts by promoting resources to maximize the use of existing highway infrastructure and improve operational movement within existing highway corridors. A study of similar, long-distance corridor planning at Oregon Department of Transportation revealed a series of direct environmental benefits, which could be replicated in North Carolina. The list includes:

• Resolution of Major Planning Issues Prior to the Initiation of Project Development. Consensus among local, regional, state, and federal agencies regarding a long-term planning vision and purpose is essential to successful project development. Corridor planning provides a framework within which a vision for individual corridors in communities can be reviewed, prioritized, and advanced under a consensus.
• Preservation of Transportation Rights-of-Way. Costs for transportation rights-of-way increase substantially as land suitable for transportation is developed for other purposes. Uncertainty about right-of-way needs may also impact property owners, businesses, and in some cases entire communities. The scope and 25-year horizon of a corridor plan can identify long-range right-of-way needs which serve to direct future development, reducing development costs and specifically environmental, social, and economic impacts.
• Protection of Transportation Investments. To prevent premature obsolescence of highways and other facilities, corridor planning examines alternate means to accommodate transportation needs with and without capital-investment improvements. Alternatives such as access management, utilization of parallel local streets, reconfigured land use patterns, and demand management programs (i.e., telecommuting, rideshare, public transportation, flex-time, etc.) are considered in lieu of or in addition to major capital improvements. All of these result in limited impacts to the surrounding environment, and can provide other community enhancement and quality of life benefits.
• Partnership With Diverse Public and Private Agencies and Organizations. Corridor planning provides a forum for resolution of policy issues and negotiation of strategic partnerships between organizations striving to fulfill complimentary missions with limited resources. New innovative public-private partnerships, cost sharing agreements, and confidence-building measures can be enacted to bring multiple parties around a common goal.

Efforts should also be made to maintain the natural beauty of an area when making transportation improvements. The Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Maryland provides a good example of preserving the scenic character of an area while providing high-speed mobility for commuters and tourists (see graphics below). Working together with local stakeholders, NCDOT should seek context sensitive solutions that not only enhance the transportation function of the roadway, but also the surrounding area.