Updated October 7, 2021 | complete program
| Tuesday, October 26 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Registration Desk Open |
| 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast |
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Exhibits Open |
| 9:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. |
WELCOME, NEW ENV DIVISION DIRECTOR Brian Barth, TxDOT Deputy Executive Director, Program Delivery Equity in Transportation Legislative and Regulatory Update An AASHTO representative will provide an update about recent and possible future proposed rulemaking activity at the federal level and as well as environmental-related programs contained in federal legislation. Environmental Awards Video |
| 10:20 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. |
BREAK |
| 10:35 a.m. – 12:00 noon |
GENERAL SESSION The Ray (theray.org) What if we reimagine the way we connect our communities, our lives and our world in a way that’s safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, more uplifting to the spirit and more capable of generating economic opportunity—today and for future generations? We’re not just talking about what a sustainable highway is. We are building it on a stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia known as The Ray Highway. By innovating from the ground up, we’re creating a corridor that reconnects and restores us, paving the way to a safer and more prosperous future for all. And now through public-private-philanthropic partnerships (P4) we’re taking what we’ve learned to other local, state and federal governments to help mitigate risks and enable them to try new technologies and innovations in transportation, in the real world, and to quickly scale the technologies that can perform and succeed. |
| 12:00 noon – 1:30 p.m. |
LUNCH |
| 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS: 1–5 BREAKOUT 1 — Altering Groundwater Flow During Construction (Intercepting and Diverting Contamination at the ROW) Dallas May, LCA Environmental During the widening of US Hwy 67 in Cedar Hill, Texas, DAL District, a contaminated groundwater seep was encountered affecting the construction of depressed main lanes. The session discusses the investigation of the contamination and the determination of how to continue with the construction project while complying with all regulatory requirements. The session will also discuss how the probable responsible party was identified, solutions to keep the construction contractor working in the area, and finding a long-term resolution to the continuing contaminated seep. BREAKOUT 2 — Water, Water Everywhere! Learn the Latest Updates on Guidance, Rules, and How to Navigate through Water Impacts Understanding Current USACE Updates Please join the USACE to learn about the latest regulatory developments and tools. Jennifer will provide updates on upcoming NWP issuance, NWPR status, and other timely topics to increase your understanding of where we stand in the ever-changing regulatory environment. Updates on TxDOT ENV Water Guidance Come learn about the latest and upcoming ENV water guidance and resources. Updates will cover delineation training, mitigation availability and forecasting, and so much more! BREAKOUT 3 — A Roadmap to Community Impacts: How Did We Get Here? Nicolle Kord and Spencer Ward, TxDOT The Community Impacts Handbooks and Form provide guidance on HOW to conduct community impacts analysis however we rarely discuss WHY we do this analysis. This session will provide a brief history and background of the laws, regulations, and social movements that guide community impacts to shed light on why we ask the questions we ask. Community impacts analysis can at times be confusing and unclear for transportation professionals. Understanding the motivation and intention behind the regulations can hopefully provide clarity and a better understanding of what information is most important when determining how a community may be impacted by our projects. BREAKOUT 4 — Cultural Resource Management Section Updates – Historical Resources Renee Benn and Rebekah Dobrasko, TxDOT This is the first of two sessions targeted to consultants performing CRM work for TxDOT. TxDOT historians will provide updates on several programmatic changes and the latest guidance for conducting fieldwork under contract. TxDOT historians will lead discussions of new guidance on historic roads, mid-century neighborhoods, desktop survey methods and updating survey reports. A preview of provisions in the forthcoming Section 106 programmatic agreement will also be covered. BREAKOUT 5 — Preparing the Purpose and Need Section of an EA or EIS Patrick Lee and Jubal Grubb, TxDOT The purpose and need statement is an important section of the NEPA document and establishes the reason why TxDOT is proposing a project. This session will explain how to comply with the TxDOT standards for preparing a purpose and need statement to include in an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. |
| 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. |
BREAK |
| 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS: 6-10 BREAKOUT 6 — Stormwater Program Updates: MS4 Permit Renewal and New Construction Stormwater Tools Tracey Janus, TxDOT It’s that time again, time to renew TxDOT’s statewide MS4 permit, a phenomenon that only happens once every 5 years. We’ll provide an update on the status of that process. In addition, we’ve been hard at work the last couple of years developing new content for the stormwater program. As part of this session we’ll provide you with a tour of all our new stormwater tools. BREAKOUT 7 — Limiting Risk and Improving Conservation Through TxDOT Biology Processes Moderator: Matt Buckingham, TxDOT New 2021 Memorandum of Understanding with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The new MOU with TPWD went into effect on September 1, 2021 and includes many changes from the previous version to focus coordination on EA and EIS projects. The speakers will discuss changes to the coordination process and exciting new conservation opportunities for both agencies. The Joys and Frustrations of Species Analysis The species analysis process is a crucial step in documenting TxDOT’s impacts to protected and imperiled species. Join us for a discussion on how to perform and properly document a species analysis. This panel discussion will discuss the forms and documents required, provide examples, and will leave plenty of time for questions. BREAKOUT 8 — Cultural Resource Management Section Updates Part 1 – Archeology Scott Pletka and Brittney Gregory, TxDOT This session explores the many uses of trenching in site delineation and stratigraphic exploration in archaeological survey and the common pitfalls encountered during this process. Highlights include counterintuitive observations in cut and fill alluvial valleys and best practice trench protocols to follow. BREAKOUT 9 — Go Beyond the Road in Public Engagement Rebekah Dobrasko and Jennifer Carpenter, TxDOT How does TxDOT go “Beyond The Road” to share its environmental work and achievements with the public? In this session, you will learn about tools for public engagement around environmental topics. Beyond the Road materials come in a variety of formats, including virtual! This session will help TxDOT district staff and consultants think of creative ways to augment their current environmental outreach efforts. Join us to learn more and share your ideas for additional content. BREAKOUT 10 — Traffic Noise Field Measurements and Model Validation Ray Umscheid and Meredith Worthen, TxDOT This session will cover requirements and best practices for traffic noise field measurements and validation of existing condition noise models. As time permits, we will also discuss other hot topics for noise, such as future noise policy updates, TNM, and noise barrier constructability assessments. |
| 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. |
EXHIBITS/RECEPTION |
| Wednesday, October 27 | |
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Registration Desk Open |
| 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast |
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Exhibits Open |
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Subject Matter Expert Room |
| 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. |
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS: 11–14 BREAKOUT 11 — EPIC Ideas: Managing Post-Clearance/Pre-Construction Environmental Compliance Requirements Moderator: Tracey Janus, TxDOT Matt Buckingham, Andy Blair, Dr. John Young, and Mario Mata, TxDOT This panel discussion will examine innovative ways TxDOT has managed Environmental Permits, Issues, and Commitments (EPICs) after a project has been environmentally cleared, but before construction has started. We’ll present real life examples from recent TxDOT projects highlighting the ways we’ve ensured that best management practices (BMPs) and voluntary conservation measures (VCMs) have been incorporated and communicated to the contractors. Examples will focus on water and biological resources. Discussion points will touch on the preparation of the plans, specifications and estimate (PS&E) development, attending preconstruction meetings, and offering contractor specific training. Join us after the break for more information on the construction side of things. BREAKOUT 12 — Reflections on Road Ecology: Complex Interactions Between Roads and the Natural Environment Moderator: Dr. Stirling Robertson, TxDOT The Bat-Highway Interaction: An Overview of Facilitation Dr. Stevens will provide an overview of how the ecology of bats is affected by highway infrastructure. He will review what is known about the kinds of bats that use bridges and culverts as day or night roosts, what kinds of structures are preferentially used by bats, and what are the major remaining questions when trying to better understand and enhance this important interaction. Characteristics of Culverts Used as Day-Roosts by Bats in the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas Bridges and culverts are often used as roosts by bats. These structures might be influential on ecology of bats, particularly in areas where roosts are a limiting factor. Though still not well understood, bridges have frequently been documented as providing roosts for bats. However, culverts are studied less often. In the Trans-Pecos, culverts had greater bat diversity and greater occupancy rates than bridges. Here, Ms. Wilson will be discussing the factors that might encourage bat presence within culverts. The Role of Museums and Genetics as a Tool for Road Ecology Dr. Phillips will provide a primer on the ethos of natural history collections and how they are an important tool for conservation and decision making. The talk will include descriptions of how the collections of the Natural Science Research Laboratory and phylogenetic inference are used to inform distributions of endangered cave spiders. BREAKOUT 13 — Cultural Resource Management Section Updates Part 2 – Archeology (not a repeat) Scott Pletka and Brittney Gregory, TxDOT This session reviews best practices for common archeology technical reports (background studies and survey reports) and associated procedures. We will discuss tips and recurring issues. BREAKOUT 14 — Building an EA Schedule and Controlling Changes Scott Ford and Chad Putnam, TxDOT This session will explore the process for developing and managing an environmental schedule for a typical project requiring an environmental assessment. The goals of the session are to familiarize the audience with basic scheduling concepts, familiarize the audience with how environmental activities are typically managed for TxDOT projects, and give the audience the experience of developing an EA schedule. |
| 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | BREAK (Exhibit Area) |
| 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 noon |
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS: 15–18 BREAKOUT 15 — Even More EPIC Ideas: Managing Environmental Commitments During Construction Moderator: Matt Buckingham, TxDOT Tracey Janus, Shannon Ramos, Jennifer Mascheck and Mario Mata, TxDOT You may think you’re done with environmental compliance once you’ve clicked that button in ECOS… but think again. This panel will build on the previous discussion about managing EPICs prior to construction. Examples from the field will demonstrate the ways BMPs and VCMs can be implemented and monitored in practice during construction to ensure compliance with the applicable EPICs. Discussion points will touch on inspection, monitoring, and enforcement practices, and how communication plays an important role in managing environmental compliance. BREAKOUT 16 — Improving Landscape Connectivity Through Wildlife Crossings Moderator: Dennis Palafox, TxDOT Wildlife Crossing Structures Work! Highways FM 106 and SH 100 have a total of 13 wildlife crossing structures between them provided for the endangered ocelot. While few of the endangered ocelot have used the crossings a host of other wildlife have used them to successfully cross these highways. I will provide evidence from the Pharr district projects (SH 100 and FM 106) are successful, cost effective, and improve landscape connectivity. Assessing Highway Segments for Landscape Connectivity and Wildlife Crossings With over 50,000 bridges and an untold number of drainage culverts that, with minimal modification, could become wildlife crossings. TxDOT could rapidly improve landscape connectivity while improving safety for the traveling public and improving resiliency. Roads are recognized as one of the top causes for habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation and wildlife endangerment. This session will present a six-step process for assessing current and future projects to improve wildlife movement and determine a level of permeability for a roadway. Connecting Hardberger Park for People and Wildlife The 311-acre Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio was divided for 10 years by Wurzbach Parkway. Opened in December 2020, the 150-foot-wide Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge now spans Wurzbach Parkway to connect the two sides of the park. This session will discuss project funding, pre- and post-construction wildlife studies, and how the land bridge accommodates hiking trails while also encouraging wildlife use though its landscape architecture, native vegetation cover, and wildlife watering features. BREAKOUT 17 — Recent Changes to TxDOT’s Environmental Guide Volumes 1 and 2 Patrick Lee, TxDOT TxDOT’s “Environmental Guide Volume 1: Process” explains how to use TxDOT’s Environmental Compliance Oversight System (ECOS) to environmentally approve transportation projects. TxDOT’s “Environmental Guide Volume 2: Activity Instructions” contains individual instructions for completing each of the Activities, Reviews, and Coordinations generated in ECOS that may be required to environmentally approve a given transportation project. This session will provide an overview of changes made to Environmental Guide Volumes 1 and 2 in Summer 2021 to update the Environmental Affairs Division’s businesses processes for various resource areas. BREAKOUT 18 — Go Beyond the Road in Public Engagement (repeat) Rebekah Dobrasko and Jennifer Carpenter, TxDOT How does TxDOT go “Beyond The Road” to share its environmental work and achievements with the public? In this session, you will learn about tools for public engagement around environmental topics. Beyond the Road materials come in a variety of formats, including virtual! This session will help TxDOT district staff and consultants think of creative ways to augment their current environmental outreach efforts. Join us to learn more and share your ideas for additional content. |
| 12:00 noon – 1:30 p.m. |
LUNCH |
| 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS: 19–22 BREAKOUT 19 — SWP3 and EPIC Sheet Workshop Part 1 Tracey Janus, TxDOT Join us for a half day workshop covering the stormwater pollution prevention plan, EPIC sheet, environmental specifications, and the checklist mechanisms that exist to enforce environmental compliance on our construction projects. BREAKOUT 20 — Protected Species, Species of Concern, and Their Habitat and Conservation Efforts Moderator: Mark Fisher, TxDOT Risk, Correlates, and Mitigation of Snake Entanglement in Erosion Control Blankets Dr. Schalk will provide a summary of two research projects examining the entanglement threat that traditional soil retention blanket mesh poses to wildlife, and present options for wildlife friendly alternatives. From the experiments of Dr. Schalk and his co-authors, it was found that snakes were more likely to become entangled in erosion control blankets (ECBs) that contained fixed-intersection, small-diameter mesh. In a review of the 2018 Approved Products List, they found that the majority of the erosion control products possessed attributes that could put wildlife at risk of entanglement. Sediment Transport from Bridge Construction and Its Effect on Aquatic Habitat Dr. Ahmari will present a GIS-based Predictive Sediment Toolbar (PST) developed to estimate the impact to aquatic habitat of sediment from bridge construction. The PST is a coupled model, including an overland erosion model and an in-stream sediment transport model. A habitat suitability model is also being developed and incorporated into the toolbar to map streambed for mussel habitat suitability based on six criteria: water depth, average velocity, substrate type, suspended sediment concentration, and relative shear stress. Conservation Round-up: Making Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCNs) Matter District stories of conservation actions taken for species of greatest conservation needs. Topics include plant relocation (Yoakum District), prairie dog relocation (Amarillo District), success with replacement bat habitat (Waco District), and utilizing wildlife friendly erosion control measures (Lufkin District). BREAKOUT 21 — Air Quality Updates Tim Wood and Glendora Lopez, TxDOT Stop holding your breath, news about air quality is here! In this session, we will: learn what has changed in the regulatory environment for air quality, introduce new air quality tools available for the Districts, discuss exciting tools under development, and get familiar with various changes to the air quality toolkit. BREAKOUT 22 — A Presentation of the Environmental Issues Associated with the Construction of the Elysian Street Bridge, Houston, Texas Mark Norman, TxDOT This session will provide a summary of the environmental investigations and remediation activities associated with the Construction of the Elysian Street Bridge, Houston, Texas. |
| 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m |
BREAK |
| 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS: 23–25 BREAKOUT 23 — SWP3 and EPIC Sheet Workshop Part 2 (not a repeat) Tracey Janus, TxDOT Part 2 of the SWP3 and EPIC Sheet Workshop BREAKOUT 24 — Water Matters United States Coast Guard Bridge Program Overview This session will discuss how TxDOT should submit bridge permit applications that are in compliance with the USCG Bridge Permit Application Guide (BPAG), the USCG’s 180 official review clock once TxDOT has submitted a federally complete bridge permit application, and NEPA documentation now that TxDOT has NEPA assignment. US 69 Wetland & Stream Strategic Mitigation Plan – Predicting Impacts and Mitigation Needs at the Feasibility Study Level TxDOT currently uses a project-by-project approach when mitigating impacts to waters of the US associated with roadway improvement projects. This process can be time consuming and usually results in an individual approach to mitigation. The purpose of the US 69 Wetland and Stream Mitigation Strategic Plan is to outline the process used to forecast both wetland and stream impacts and mitigation needs that are associated with improving multiple segments of US 69 prior to detailed design. BREAKOUT 25 — Panel Discussion: Indirect Impacts Adrienne Boer and Nicolle Kord, TxDOT Division staff and consultants will provide a presentation on indirect impacts analysis, and then walk us through some recent project examples and the methodology used. The panel will then take questions and discuss topics customized for the attending audience. |
| 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m |
Bat Bridge Tour |
| Thursday, October 28 | |
| 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon |
Registration Desk Open |
| 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast |
| 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. |
Exhibits Open |
| 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Off-Site Plant ID Workshop |