PEL In Practice

The presentation will lead off with a discussion of what Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) is, when a PEL study might be appropriate, and what benefits can be realized from conducting a PEL study. Several PEL case studies will then be presented to illustrate the flexibility of a PEL study. These case studies will demonstrate how a PEL study can be used to identify independent projects with independent utility within a corridor, or to better differentiate alternative options for a specific project. Colorado DOT will discuss the benefits they have realized from implementing PEL studies in the state of Colorado. Planning and Environmental Linkages was one of FHWA's Every Day Counts initiatives aimed at expediting the delivery of transportation projects. The session presentation will include a panel discussion of how PEL can expedite the delivery of transportation projects, and practical tips for practitioners to ensure they are getting the most benefit from their PEL studies. The session will conclude with a Question and Answer session with the panelists.

NEPA Track, 1.5 AICP Credits

Jane Boand
Project Manager II
City and County of Denver Dept. of Transportation & Infrastructure

Jane is an environmental planner and senior project manager with the City and County of Denver’s Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI). In this capacity, she leads NEPA processes and environmental permitting for Denver projects and participates in PEL corridor planning for urban roadways. She is a member of the TRB AEP70 Committee on Environmental Analysis and Ecology.

Diane Nulton
Senior Environmental Project Manager
HDR

Diane has over 30 years of experience managing the National Environmental Policy Act process for transportation projects. Her extensive knowledge of the Planning, NEPA, Section 4(f), and Permitting processes has led to her involvement in numerous complex, controversial and fast-tracked projects. In addition, Diane has worked with several state Departments of Transportation as well as the National Highway Institute to develop guidance and/or training on a variety of topics, including Planning and Environmental Linkages, NEPA, Section 4(f), Section 6(f), indirect and cumulative impact analyses, Environmental Justice, and public involvement.

She is a certified NHI instructor and teaches NHI's basic NEPA, advanced NEPA, and Section 4(f) courses. Diane is a member of the TRB AEP70 Committee.

Jason Longsdorf
Associate Vice President
HDR

Jason Longsdorf is an associate vice president and transportation planning group lead in Denver, with a strong understanding of multimodal transportation planning, design, public engagement strategies and environmental and funding processes. Jason has acted as Project Manager for numerous PEL projects including the Santa Fe/US 85 PEL in Denver.

Troy Halouska
PEL Program Manager
Colorado Department of Transportation

Troy is the PEL Program Manager and a Senior NEPA Specialist at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Troy has over 20 years of experience working on all aspects of the NEPA process and over 10 years of experience with PELs in both the private and public sectors. At CDOT, he is involved in statewide policy, planning and project management for PEL and NEPA. He works closely with FHWA to develop new streamlining tools and implement constantly changing regulations and guidance for PEL, NEPA, and environmental project management.