HIGHWAYS AND ECOLOGY: IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION

The enactment of NEPA expanded the requirements for the highway professional to consider all aspects of a highway development project. Part of this assessment is the effects of highway projects, highway operations, and highway maintenance on natural resources. These effects occur at both the biological and ecological level. This book uses an ecosystem approach to impact assessments. The components and dynamics of terrestrial, aquatic and wetland ecosystem are described. Potential biological and ecological impacts of a highway project are also described. This analysis is broken down into pre-design, design, construction and operation and maintenance phases. Extensive discussions on methods of mitigating adverse impacts and enhancing the existing biological resources are included. Much material on current practices has been gathered during the presentation of a course sponsored by the National Highway Institute, Ecological Impacts of Proposed Highway Improvements. Case studies and references are used extensively to provide the reader with a chance for more in-depth review of a particular practice. /FHWA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.
• Corporate Authors:

  New England Research, Incorporated

  15 Sagamore Road
  Worcester, MA  United States  01605
• Authors:
  • Erickson, P A
  • Camougis, G
  • Robbins, E J
• Publication Date: 1978-3

Media Info

• Pagination: 199 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aquatic life; Biological activity; Ecology; Highways; Impacts; Natural resources
• Old TRIS Terms: Biologic activity
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00185268
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RWE-78-EP001 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-11-8506
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 14 2002 12:00AM