Interagency Development of Performance Standards for Managing Materials, Wastes, and Contamination under Oregon's Bridge Program

In 2003, Oregon's legislature passed and funded a transportation initiative that provided $1.3 billion for a bridge repair and replacement program, tripling the Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT) construction funding. That same year, a governor's executive order directed ODOT to develop sustainability measures for that program. Therefore, ODOT requested the assistance of the state department of environmental quality (DEQ) in developing performance standards that ensure regulatory compliance and facilitate environmental stewardship. DEQ realized that the proposal could help it meet its agency goals, and the two agencies signed an agreement under which ODOT paid DEQ staff to help develop the performance standard and DEQ absorbed the costs of senior management review. The ODOT-DEQ team developed performance standards that provide consistent regulatory interpretations specific to bridge construction, promote reuse over virgin materials, provide materials handling and waste management guidance for common bridge materials, ensure contamination is identified before construction, and facilitate data sharing with DEQ. The team provides a hierarchy for waste management and materials procurement practices that encourages consideration of more environmentally beneficial options when those are technically and financially feasible. The development process has already had the benefit of improving interagency relationships. Implementation should also improve regulatory compliance, increase reuse and recycling, decrease land filling, and improve air quality, all without increasing overall project costs. Implementation may even reduce costs through decreased transportation, landfill fees, virgin materials costs, and time that would have been needed to negotiate alternative material uses and permits for each project.