News from New York State Department of Transportation

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NYSDOT Honored For Green And Blue Highways Initiative

FHWA Recognize New York for Environmental Program

ALBANY, NY (11/20/2007; 0931)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn today announced that the department’s statewide Green and Blue Highways Program has been honored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as an Exemplary Ecosystem Initiative for its demonstration of environmental stewardship.

“Improving the environment through new and innovative uses of the transportation system is one of the top priorities for the State Department of Transportation,” Commissioner Glynn said. “Recognition of our Green and Blue Highways environmental stewardship program is a true honor for both me and Governor Eliot Spitzer.”

The Green and Blue Highways Program was launched in 2005 as a way to encourage implementation of various low- or no-cost maintenance and operation activities across the State that protect and enhance the environment. Utilizing best practices and suggestions from highway maintenance staff, program initiatives have included using over-the-rail mowers to improve vegetation management, using evergreen trees as living snow-fences at drift-prone locations, upgrading parking areas to discourage littering and improving drainage on State routes to reduce sedimentation of wetlands. In 2006, environmental initiatives such as these were implemented in more than 25 locations across the State.

FHWA’s Exemplary Ecosystem Initiative is targeted at preserving and enhancing the interconnected community of living things and physical environment, an effort critical to protecting our diverse biological resources and sustaining our communities. The initiative is part of FHWA’s Vital Few Environmental Goal. This program is aimed at creating a better transportation system in ways that do not compromise environmental protection but proactively consider the natural and human environment in addressing the mobility and safety needs of the public.

The FHWA also recognized programs in Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

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