7. Clear Decision Making

“Demonstrate clearly defined, effective, decisionmaking and implementation that meets commitments.”

8. Deliver a Quality Solution

“Deliver a quality transportation solution with efficient and effective use of everyone’s resources in cost, effort, and material.”

Considerations

Context Sensitive Solutions recognize that all stakeholders cannot be present in every decision-making process. This means that whoever is making a decision must act in the best interest of all parties and not just themselves. If a certain specie of tree cannot be obtained, what should be substituted in its place? Scenarios such as this occurred during the construction of MD 200, as seen in Figure 1.20, and due to written statements, the specific specie was able to be substituted with another that met the pre-determined commitments.

These decisions are not just during construction; a decision that may have to be made is when or how often public meetings and hearings are hosted. Where are these hosted to make the most number of people able to attend and comfortable attending? If funding or time is limited, which segment of the project receives the attention?

Considerations

The final criterion as developed by the Federal Lands Highway is perhaps the most important of the eight. The previous seven criteria ebb and flow and twist and turn, but must eventually end with a quality transportation solution. What is a quality solution? Well, that is determined by the end users. Did the project win any awards? Do the motorists feel safe and inspired while driving the roadway? Do cyclists feel incorporated into the project? Does a small ground squirrel feel comfortable using a wildlife crossing? The determination of a quality transportation solution is different for every user, and is thus not an across-the-board phrase.

What is important, however, is that it meets the predetermined points which were developed early on in conjunction with all stakeholders. These can be found within the ”Vision, Purpose, and Need”. If the project was intended at lowering the number of accidents at an intersection while installing a bike lane, were both of those done? If so, then it is likely a quality transportation solution.

References

David B. Wasson Jr. Fourth-year Landscape Architecture Student

David is from State College, Pennsylvania. He is interested in public lands management where he seeks to work with the NPS, USFS, or the BLM to create new methods of balancing recreation, resource extraction, ecologies, and more. David has two minors, Geography and Climatology, and has been the recipient of Penn State Landscape Architecture departmental awards in Visual Communications, Stormwater Management, Materials Implementation, and Leader in Social Good. He is also a Valley Family Award recipient from the College of Arts and Architecture.

- About the Office of Federal Lands Highway | FHWA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/about.

- Context Sensitivity | FHWA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://highways.dot.gov/ federal-lands/about/context-sensitivity.

- Intercounty Connector (ICC)/MD 200. MDTA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https:// mdta.maryland.gov/ICC/ICC.html.

- Intercounty Connector (ICC) contract C. JMT. (2022, December 6). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://jmt.com/projects/intercounty-connector-icc-contract-c/.

- Jones, G., Parker, C., & Scott, C. (2019, July 26). Designing America’s Wildlife Highway: Montana’s U.S. Highway 93. Community Planning and Zoning. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://community-planning.extension.org/designing-americas-wildlife-highway-montanas-u-shighway-93/.

- Paris pike historic rock fence repair. Dry Stone Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.drystone.org/paris-pike-historic-rock-fence-repair.

- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. (2012, December). General Design. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/Bureaus/design/PUB13M/Chapters/ Chap01.pdf.

- Ride for the pass. Independence Pass Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.independencepass.org/ride-for-the-pass.