Today’s ETAP Podcast will focus on the upcoming 2022 Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting as well as provide a preview for the TRB Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology Conference taking place in March.

This year’s meeting will be of particular interest to environmental practitioners and is titled: Innovating an Equitable, Resilient, Sustainable, and Safe Transportation System. With over 800 information sessions and meetings, TRB will cover a wide array of topics across all modes within this year’s theme.

Joining us to discuss the 101st TRB Annual Meeting is Tim Sexton; Chief Sustainability Officer at the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Transportation and Sustainability Committee. Tim will also provide a preview of the TRB Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology (SETT) Conference taking place in Irvine, California, March 15-18, 2022.

“One of the significant advantages of serving as AASHTO president is that it gives me a platform to address issues that matter,” says Dr. Shawn Wilson. Dr. Wilson is the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and was elected AASHTO’s first African American president in October.

During his tenure as president, Dr. Wilson will be facing ‘issues that matter’ head on. Each year the incoming AASHTO president identifies emphasis areas that will be the focus of their term; Dr. Wilson’s emphasis areas are Pathways to Equity and Partnering to Deliver. He, along with AASHTO Vice President Roger Millar of Washington State, will work with AASHTO and the states to promote equity and to encourage participation in non-traditional partnerships.

From loss of sleep to loss of hearing, noise can pose a real threat. Recent studies have even identified a possible link between noise exposure and dementia. Traffic noise is a major contributor to noise pollution that fuels these negative health outcomes. Tires hitting pavement make up the majority of highway noise. Better modeling and barriers can work to mitigate this for folks living near areas with high levels of noise- and DOT practitioners are working toward such solutions for all affected.

Joining us on the podcast today is Noel Alcala, Noise and Air Quality Coordinator at Ohio Department of Transportation. Noel also heads the AASHTO Noise Working Group, which operates under the Committee on Environment and Sustainability. The noise working group convenes state DOTs and promotes discourse on, and works in reducing traffic noise and its negative effects.

Reach out to Noel and the Noise Working Group at: [email protected]

Joining us today to discuss the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (or IIJA) is Joung Lee, AASHTO’s Director of Policy and Government Relations.

This episode of AASHTO’s ETAP Podcast was recorded while the House of Representatives was reviewing the IIJA. As the bill works its way to President Biden’s desk, AASHTO has been working to represent the interests of state DOTs, and has done so quite successfully. Four out of five of the Association’s core priorities have been incorporated into the most recent version of the bill.

Mark Hoffman, an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Auburn University, and his Graduate Research Assistant Karl Bohnenberger have been studying one of the lesser known contributors to poor fuel economy: rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is a measure of the effort required to keep a tire rolling. It might not grab headlines, but rolling resistance has a substantial impact on emissions and energy use. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, conventionally fueled vehicles use up 11% of their fuel to keep their tires rolling, while electric vehicles use up to 25% of their energy for this purpose. As a result, reducing rolling resistance, as well as quality research on the subject; presents a valuable opportunity to improve vehicle efficiency and reduce the transportation sector’s carbon footprint.

Today Mark and Karl join us to chat about rolling resistance reduction as an attainable step toward a sustainable future.

Once ubiquitous in North America, the Monarch’s striking orange and black wings are likely the first image that comes to mind when picturing a butterfly. The Monarch is famed not only for its beauty, but also for its role in a healthy ecosystem- the pollinators are a critical support to some uniquely American landmarks: from the Great Smoky Mountains to Zion National Park. Yet, over the past few decades, the Monarch has experienced a dramatic dip in population.

As the eastern members of this iconic species prepare for their annual migration to Mexico, we’ll sit down with Arizona Department of Transportation’s Roadside Resource Specialist, Kris Gade-- one of the professionals leading the charge for Monarch conservation.

In this week's episode, host Bernie Wagenblast sits down with Matthew Quirey, a Landscape Design & Research Fellow at The Ray. For his thesis, Matthew partnered with The Ray to produce new classifications of the most beneficial and well rounded roadside vegetation systems which can now be used to guide Georgia’s efforts in sustainability and harmonious roadside ecology.

Today’s ETAP podcast will focus on how state agency partnerships are helping Connecticut both achieve its state climate goals and implement the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program, or TCI-P. State DOTs are critical stakeholders in deciding how to re-invest revenue generated caps on emissions. TCI-P is a historic multi-state effort to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation In Connecticut, for example, TCI-P is projected to generate roughly a billion dollars over the next decade, much of which will support transportation systems.

To learn more about TCI-P and the ongoing collaboration between state agencies in Connecticut, we are joined by Katie S. Dykes, the Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP, as well as Garrett Eucalitto, the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.

Today’s ETAP podcast will focus on transportation equity and environmental justice. Transportation systems are critical to people’s ability to reach jobs, educational opportunities, health care, and a number of other goods and services. However, underserved and marginalized communities often lack transportation options that are accessible and affordable. In its efforts to address these issues, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has earned national recognition for its Rethinking I-94 project. MnDOT began the project in 2016, working with communities negatively affected by the construction of I-94 in the 1960s to develop a new vision for the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Rethinking 1-94 Livability Director, Gloria Jeff, join us on this episode to discuss transportation equity and environmental justice.

State departments of transportation will play a critical role in rolling out electric vehicle infrastructure. Shoshana Lew, the Executive Director of Colorado DOT, is leading the march towards a greener future for her state’s drivers and riders. This month's podcast discusses how Colorado is ramping up its efforts to promote electric vehicles and provide the infrastructure necessary for the future of transportation.