DOT Innovation Archives - Page 2 of 6

Building a better transportation system starts long before breaking ground

By Sean Doyle · March 5, 2019

Although state DOTs were largely created to build highways, they are now responsible for moving people and goods safely and efficiently across multiple modes—bike, walk, bus, trains, ferries, and cars. But to do a better job of meeting all these diverse needs and provide a multimodal transportation system that supports economic growth and livable communities, changes to their policies, internal processes, and agency culture are required.

Building a better state DOT

Smart Growth America and the Governors’ Institute on Community Design worked with state departments of transportation to question and assess their underlying assumptions that lead many states to over built, expensive highway solutions for every transportation problem. The following memos are the outcome of that work, which delve into seven common areas of reform that we identified.

DOT Innovation Transportation Complete Streets land use Level of service Practical Solutions Project Selection Criteria public engagement State DOTs

Helping Congress understand their role in solving the epidemic of pedestrian deaths

By Steve Davis · February 20, 2019

In the wake of Dangerous by Design making headlines from coast to coast, staff from the key Senate committee responsible for the largest portion of federal transportation policy invited us to come to Capitol Hill and explain the problem in more detail, and tell them what Congress can and should be doing to end this epidemic of preventable pedestrian deaths.

Complete Streets DOT Innovation Complete Streets congress Dangerous by Design Dangerous by Design 2019 Senate Senate EPW

How a singular focus on speed leads state DOTs to overspend and overbuild

By Beth Osborne · February 20, 2019

The most productive state departments of transportation are those that have come to grips with the fact that moving cars fast all the time is hard to square with most of their other stated priorities, whether improved safety, more mobility, or reduced costs.

DOT Innovation Transportation Governors' Institute on Community Design Practical Solutions State DOTs

Don’t hate the state (DOT): They’re just solving the wrong problem

By Beth Osborne · February 13, 2019

Over the last two years, Smart Growth America has been working to help a small group of state departments of transportation question and assess the underlying assumptions that lead many states toward giant highway solutions for every transportation problem.

DOT Innovation Transportation GICD Practical Solutions State Departments of Transportation State DOTs

Reconnecting Neighborhoods: How the Twin Cities are working to heal the wounds inflicted by urban highways

By Sean Doyle · February 28, 2018

Highways routed through population centers in the 50s and 60s have scarred many communities around the country and left neighborhoods disconnected from opportunity. To help address this in the Twin Cities, Smart Growth America worked with MnDOT on two intersections around I-94 to identify problems and improvements that can be made.

DOT Innovation Highways Minneapolis Minnesota Minnesota DOT St. Paul twin cities

Reconnecting Neighborhoods across I-94 at Lexington Parkway and Dowling Avenue

MnDOT partnered with Smart Growth America to host two visioning and design workshops for decision-makers and community residents to determine how to best address mobility needs around I-94 through Minneapolis and St. Paul. This report summarizes the findings from those workshops.

DOT Innovation Technical assistance Economic opportunity Highways Minneapolis Minnesota DOT MnDOT St. Paul

Watch the recording – Fitting the road to the context: Florida’s Context Classification and Complete Streets implementation

By State Smart Transportation Initiative · November 29, 2017

Florida’s approach could serve as a model for other states looking to incorporate land-use context in decision-making. The latest webinar from our State Smart Transportation Initiative explained how this approach is being implemented in Florida and how other states can emulate it.

DOT Innovation Florida DOT State Smart Transportation Initiative

SSTI News: Two new studies improve “walkability” measurement

By State Smart Transportation Initiative · October 31, 2017

Differences in perceived travel time based on visual preference surveys. Source: Erath et al., 2015. Where people walk: Two new studies improve “walkability” measurement In planning and designing for pedestrians, sidewalks are often a good start but rarely make a place walkable on their own. Measuring pedestrian accessibility (the topic of a recent SSTI webinar) depends … Continued

DOT Innovation State Smart Transportation Initiative

Florida DOT hits milestone in context-based street design

By State Smart Transportation Initiative · October 23, 2017

The Florida Department of Transportation is making major strides toward improving pedestrian and bicycle safety through its Complete Streets Implementation initiative. One of FDOT’s most innovative achievements has been the recent adoption of eight context classifications to guide road design decisions. While the concept of context classification is not new, FDOT is one of the first states to operationalize it within formal decision-making processes.

DOT Innovation Florida DOT SSTI State Smart Transportation Initiative