Operations and Maintenance
The Green Highways process does not end upon completion of construction. The operations and management stage is a constant effort to optimize traffic flow, implement stormwater BMP's, maximize recycling, and reduce overall environmental impact. Monitoring and evaluation systems ensure that issues, threats, and opportunities can be dealt with appropriately.
| Presentation Name | Synopsis |
| This is a good overview of tools and techniques involved in managing the assets of transportation infrastructure. As the example of the DC Streets project illustrates, maintaining a healthy infrastructure leads to a healthier environment. | |
Operational Strategies toward Greener Highways (Alixandra Demers, North Carolina State University) | Improvements in the way vehicles traverse the transportation network can produce significant reductions in fuel consumption and green house gas emissions. One tool in maintaining green highways is Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS), such as personal GPS navigation. |
| Recycling is imbedded into each step of the Green Highways process; operations and maintenance are no exception. GreenScapes is an EPA partnership program of government and private entities that provides cost-efficient and environmentally beneficial options and solutions for large-scale land uses such as landscaping along highways and rest stops. | |
| While the first two stages of the GHP process are designed to minimize environmental damage, alleviation of inevitable impact cannot be passively achieved. Active mitigation systems, such as wetland banking, are crucial in reaching the ultimate Green Highway goals. |