Ten state transportation agencies were honored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on Earth Day with 2003 Environmental Excellence Awards. Winning states included: Vermont, Kentucky, Colorado, Maryland, Washington, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon and Colorado.
Other award recipients included: Broward (Fla.) County Long Range Transportation Plan; U.S. Department of Agriculture Western Federal Lands Highway Division; city of Los Angeles Department of Public Works-Bureau of Street Services; North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and the Indian Creek (Wash.) Stormwater Treatment Facility.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation won for Excellence in Environmental Streamlining for its Programmatic Agreement and Manual on Section 106 Review of Historic and Archaeological Resources in Federal-aid Highway Projects.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet garnered the award for Excellence in Cultural and Historical Resources for its innovative redesign of a 12-mile stretch of U.S. 27/68.
The Colorado Department of Transportation won two awards. The first was the Excellence in Ecosystems, Habitat and Wildlife award for its Shortgrass Prairie System. The second award was the Excellence in Environmental Leadership, honoring department employee Wes Goff for his trailblazing work in minimizing the environmental impacts of road projects.
The Maryland State Highway Administration earned its award in Excellence in Wetlands and Water Quality for a Stormwater Management Facilities and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program.
The Washington State Department of Transportation won an award for Excellence in Roadside Classification Plan and Roadside Mural for its plan to provide a framework for consistent, proactive roadside management statewide and to facilitate cost-effective restoration of state roadsides.
The Iowa Department of Transportation netted an Excellence in Livable Communities award for its Iowa's Living Roadways Community Visioning Program and Iowa's Living Roadways Project.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation won an Excellence in Environmental Research award for its Aesthetic Initiative Measurement System. This research project measures how travelers and neighbors perceive the visual quality of Minnesota's highway corridor treatments and landscapes.
The Oregon Department of Transportation won an Excellence in Scenic Byways for the Oregon Forest Highway Enhancement Program.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, won an Excellence in Environmental Leadership award for their Partnership for Improving North Carolina's Environment project.
