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Lecture 12 - Using INVEST For Scoring And Evaluation

Sustainable Transportation Curriculum for Universities

Slide 1

INVEST - Sustainable Highways Self-Evaluation Tool (logo).

LECTURE 12: Using INVEST for Scoring and Evaluation

Slide 2

INVEST — Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool

INVEST is a web-based self-evaluation tool

Screenshot of the landing page for the INVEST website, accessible at www.sustainablehighways.org.

Slide 3

INVEST — Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool

Refresher:

  • It includes voluntary sustainability best practices called criteria
  • It covers the full life cycle of transportation — system planning, project planning, design, construction, and operations and maintenance
  • Developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

/

Slide 4

INVEST Modules

INVEST has modules covering three main areas:

  1. Transportation systems planning (for states and for regions) — focuses on planning and delivery of transportation infrastructure at the programmatic level
  2. Project development — covers planning, design, and construction of an individual project; includes different scorecards applicable to different project types
  3. Operations and maintenance — covers system-level O&M activities (for an agency's internal actions)

Slide 5

INVEST Criteria

Each module has criteria that are used to evaluate a particular metric or performance measure

  • Criteria represent best practices for sustainability
  • Individual criteria have a maximum obtainable score ranging from 1–15
  • Linked to one or more of the three sustainability dimensions (affected triple bottom line principles)
  • INVEST provides detailed descriptions and instructions for scoring each criterion

Slide 6

INVEST Criteria Example — Access and Affordability

  • This criterion is from the System Planning for States module
  • As shown in the screenshot from the INVEST website, all three triple bottom line principles are affected by this criterion
  • Considerations for scoring include physical access, access and equity, and affordability
This image shows a snippet of the System Planning for States criterion on Access and Affordability from the INVEST Compendium. The affected triple bottom line principle for this criterion is the environmental, social and economic.

Slide 7

INVEST Criteria Example — Highway and Traffic Safety

  • This criterion is from the Project Development module
  • As shown in the screenshot from the INVEST website, the social and economic triple bottom line principles are affected by this criterion
  • Scoring for this criterion was based on whether human factors are considered in efforts regarding safety, whether public awareness efforts were conducted, and whether scientific methods were used to evaluate safety for the project
This image shows a snippet of the Project Development criterion on Stormwater and Flow Control from the INVEST Compendium. The affected triple bottom line principle for this criterion is the social and economic one.

Slide 8

INVEST Criteria Examples — Stormwater Quality and Flow Control

  • This criterion is from the Project Development module
  • As shown in the screenshot from the INVEST website, the environmental triple bottom line principle is affected by this criterion
  • Scoring for this criterion was based on whether the project treats stormwater runoff and whether flows of the runoff are controlled at the project site
This image shows a snippet of the Project Development criterion on Stormwater and Flow Control from the INVEST Compendium. The affected triple bottom line principle for this criterion is the environmental one.

Slide 9

INVEST Criteria Examples — Electrical Energy Efficiency and Use

  • This criterion is from the Operations and Maintenance module
  • As shown in the screenshot from the INVEST website, the environmental triple bottom line principle is affected by this criterion
  • Scoring for this criterion was based on whether the agency has energy reduction or renewable energy usage goals or plan, the existence of an electricity monitoring system, employee awareness efforts, and commitments to purchase renewable energy
This image shows a snippet of the Project Development criterion on Stormwater and Flow Control from the INVEST Compendium. The affected triple bottom line principle for this criterion is the environmental one.

Slide 10

Project Development Scorecards

  • Project Development module has multiple scorecard options, so only applicable criteria are considered
  • Custom scorecard can also be created as long as core criteria are included
This image from the INVEST website shows the different project development scorecards available to suit different project types (paving, urban basic, urban extended, rural basis, rural extended, scenic and recreational, and a custom card with core criteria). Subsets of the 33 Project development criteria will apply to the scorecard.

Source: INVEST. /

Slide 11

INVEST Scoring

  • Depending on the project or program being evaluated, a set of criteria are applicable
  • Projects may receive a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum rating for achieving 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% or more, respectively, of the total achievable score for the relevant module
  • Scoring can be done online on the INVEST website or offline by downloading fillable worksheets
The image represents vehicles on a road with on-board units for connectivity.

Slide 12

INVEST Scoring Example

This image shows part of the online INVEST interface showing how the total score for a scorecard is displayed. In this case, the results are for a project development module's urban basic scorecard, and shows a rating of 41 points, or Bronze.

Slide 13

Criterion Scoring Example

Detailed background and scoring requirements are provided for each applicable criterion. Users then select responses to questions based on this guidance to determine the scores. Collaboration among stakeholders is vital to the scoring process.

The image shows a part of the online INVEST interface for criterion scoring. It shows an example of how the goal statement, sustainability linkage, and background scoring requirements are listed, in this example for the Project Development criterion on Lifecycle Cost Analyses.

Slide 14

Criterion Scoring Example (Continued)

Detailed background and scoring requirements are provided for each applicable criterion. Users then select responses to questions based on this guidance to determine the scores. Collaboration among stakeholders is vital to the scoring process.

This image shows part of the online INVEST interface for criterion scoring. It shows how users can select scoring options using radio buttons, which result in specific points being scored.

Slide 15

CASE STUDY — Planning

  • MetroPlan Orlando, the MPO for central Florida, applied INVEST to help address health and sustainability in regional planning
  • Evaluation of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan was conducted using INVEST's Systems Planning for Regions Module
  • Received a Gold rating (129 out of 255 possible points)

Source: /779/97/metroplan-orlando-integrating-health-and-sustainability-principles-into-transportation-planning.html

Freeway interchange near a city's downtown area.

MetroPlan Orlando (logo).

Slide 16

Case Study — Planning (continued)

Key Outcomes

  • Identification of areas of success and for improvement
  • Helped develop a multi-year health and sustainability approach
  • New relationships and enhanced relationships with non-traditional transportation partners
  • Increased support from elected and senior officials
  • Development of white papers
  • Identification of research topics

Source: INVEST. Case Studies. /779/97/metroplan-orlando-integrating-health-and-sustainability-principles-into-transportation-planning.html

Slide 17

CASE STUDY — Project Development and Construction

Ohio Department of Transportation (logo).

  • Ohio DOT included sustainability (measured by INVEST) as one of the criteria for scoring contractor proposals for a design-build contract for the second phase of the George V. Voinovich Bridge
    • Winning bid committed to INVEST Platinum rating (95 INVEST points out of a total possible of 126)

Source: INVEST. Case Studies. /779/94/ohio-dot-george-v-voinovich-bridgecleveland-innerbelt-corridor.html

View from the water of a bridge under construction.

Slide 18

CASE STUDY — Project Development and Construction (continued)

  • Collaborative workshop (eco-charette) was used to identify areas for improvement
  • Selected outcomes
    • Reuse of materials
    • Earthwork balance to eliminate excess fill
    • Diversion of most of the construction waste

Source: /779/94/ohio-dot-george-v-voinovich-bridgecleveland-innerbelt-corridor.html

Engineers in an office looking over plans.

Slide 19

CASE STUDY — Operations and Maintenance

Arizona Department of Transportation (logo).

  • ADOT conducted an evaluation of internal operations and infrastructure operations and maintenance areas using INVEST
  • ADOT achieved a platinum rating, based on the self-evaluation

Source: /779/78/arizona-dot-using-invest-to-benefit-planning-programming-and-maintenance-in-arizona.html

Flagger working at a road construction work zone.

Slide 20

CASE STUDY — Operations and Maintenance (Continued)

High-Scoring Areas

  • Vehicle fuel efficiency and use
  • Pavement management system
  • Transportation management and operations
  • Work zone traffic control

Areas for Improvement

  • Sustainability plan
  • Electrical energy efficiency and use
  • Tracking environmental commitments
  • Bridge management system
  • Road weather management program

Source: /779/78/arizona-dot-using-invest-to-benefit-planning-programming-and-maintenance-in-arizona.html

Slide 21 [end]

LECTURE 12: Using INVEST for Scoring and Evaluation

 

 

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