Reflecting the Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s strong commitment to sustainability principles that improve the social, economic, and environmental outcomes of the regional planning process, the Agency received the highest rating, Platinum, from the Federal Highways Administration’s INVEST (Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool) evaluation.
In seeking to assess how well-defined and comprehensive the Transportation Agency’s sustainability efforts have been, and identify areas for improvement, TAMC utilized the INVEST Sustainability Tool to review a broad spectrum of the agency’s planning activities. INVEST is a web-based self-evaluation tool comprised of voluntary sustainability best practices, which cover the full lifecycle of transportation services, including system planning, project planning, design, and construction, and continuing through operations and maintenance. The FHWA developed INVEST for voluntary use by transportation agencies to assess and enhance the sustainability of their projects and programs. INVEST is intended to provide guidance for practitioners to evaluate the sustainability of their transportation projects and programs and to encourage sustainability progress within the field of transportation.
As part of the INVEST assessment, the Transportation Agency evaluated the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan, as well as twenty-three other plans, policies, projects, and programs, which are listed in the attached Executive Summary. Out of 250 total points, TAMC scored a total of 174, which puts the Agency in the highest level, Platinum (out of four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum).
Key areas of strength for the Transportation Agency that the results of the assessment revealed include the Agency's broad engagement with regional stakeholders to focus on sustainable transportation investments; the Agency's expertise and leadership in areas such as Safety Planning and Financial Sustainability; and the Agency's experience in various travel modes that support a balanced regional transportation network.
The assessment also identified several areas where the Agency could improve to earn a higher score. Those recommendations include: the development of Rideshare and 511 Monterey traveler information programs, which the Agency will soon be implementing; adoption of Habitat Management and Pavement Management plans, which are included in the Transportation Safety & Investment Plan; and more frequent tracking of performance measures in the Regional Transportation Plan.
To fund this effort, the Transportation Agency received a $25,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration, which included a one-to-one match from the Agency. The Agency included in the scope of work for the grant an educational outreach component in which Agency staff will present the results of the assessment and lessons learned to partner agencies. Agency staff will reach out to the Central Coast Coalition, composed of Caltrans District 5, the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies from San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties, and the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, to conduct this educational outreach.