Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)

safety, mobility, and preservation

Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to transportation project development aimed at incorporating the perspectives of public and private stakeholders early and often in the planning and design of projects.

Nashville Area MPO Regional Symposium on Context Sensitive Solutions Summary

On February 6th and 7th 2008, the Nashville Area MPO hosted its first regional symposium, with the topic set on CSS. Over the course of two days, more than 120 planners, engineers, project managers, planning commissioners, and elected officials representing local governments, MPOs, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and private consulting firms came together on the serene campus of the Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville, TN, to discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing a CSS approach to a variety of transportation projects in our region.

The symposium was lead by Tim Neuman (CH2M HILL) and John LaPlante (T.Y. Lin International). Working together, the two presenters kicked-off the symposium with a great overview and history of CSS in the transportation industry. They continued throughout the day with lectures and workshop exercises to share key principles and techniques of CSS, from “making complex decisions” to “design alternatives.”

During the first day’s lunch session, Ben Buchan (Georgia DOT) provided an overview of the CSS policies and practices which his Department has adopted. Mr. Buchan provided a valuable, real-world, peer perspective from a state which has several years of experience implementing CSS processes in its project planning and design.

Day 2 of the symposium featured presentations and a panel discussion on two successful CSS projects from the Nashville region. Darrell Moore, Project Manager for TDOT, presented a case study on the development of the Mack Hatcher Parkway in Williamson County. Lisa Judd, a member of the Citizens Resource Team, plus Jerry Stump and Brad Thompson from Wilbur Smith and Associates were on hand to provide their perspectives (citizen and consultant, respectively) on the project.

Ed Cole, TDOT Chief of Environment and Planning, teamed with Jim Snyder of Metro Nashville Public Works to present the Demonbreun Street Bridge project. The project was especially challenging as it was developed in a very short timeframe in order to replace an unsafe bridge. Both agencies discussed how working through the CSS process helped to improve communication and relationships between agencies and stakeholder groups.

As a grand finale, the symposium moved to the banquet hall for comments by Gerald Nicely, TDOT Commissioner, who pledged Department support for stakeholder involvement in project development, and a keynote address by John Norquist, President of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Mr. Norquist’s work promoting New Urbanism as an alternative to sprawl and antidote to sprawl's social and environmental problems draws on his experience as big-city mayor and prominent participant in national discussions on urban design and school reform. John was the Mayor of Milwaukee from 1988-2004. Under his leadership, Milwaukee experienced a decline in poverty, saw a boom in new downtown housing, and became a leading center of education and welfare reform.

Participants at the symposium indicated that they came away from the event with a better understanding of what CSS is and how the approach could be implemented in each step of a project, from planning to pavement.

Presentations from the CSS Symposium Available for Download

Contact Information

Ben Buchan | ben.buchan@dot.state.ga.us | (404) 656-6536

Ben has worked with the Georgia Department of Transportation for 29 years, currently as the State Urban Design Engineer. He has served on the AASHTO subcommittee on Design, the Technical Committee for Roadside Safety which authored AASHTO’s Roadside Design Guide, and the Joint Task Force for Aesthetic Design, which authored A Guide for Applying AASHTO Policies to Achieve Flexibility in Highway Design. He served as chair of a TRB panel on the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 16-04, Design Guidelines for Safe and Aesthetic Roadside Treatments in Urban Areas, and was a member on the NCHRP Project 22-14(2), Improvement of Procedures for the Safety-Performance Evaluation of Roadside Features, (Update of Report 350).

John LaPlante | jlaplante@tylin.com | (312) 777-2877

John currently works out of Chicago as the Director of Traffic Engineering for T.Y.Lin International. Prior to joining the firm in 1992, John spent 30 years working in various roles for the City of Chicago, including as Chief City Traffic Engineer and Acting Commissioner of the city’s Department of Transportation. He is active on several national committees including the AASHTO Green Book Technical Committee, the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Pedestrian Task Force, and the TRB Pedestrian Committee. He was the principal author of the AASHTO Pedestrian Guide.

Tim Neuman | Tim.Neuman@CH2M.com | (773) 693-3809

Tim is Vice President and Chief Highway Engineer for CH2M HILL. He has over 32 years of experience in the planning and design of major highways, freeways and interchanges for over 20 state DOTs. He is a nationally recognized expert in the field of Context Sensitive Solutions. He was co-principal investigator for NCHRP Report 480, Best Practices for Achieving Context Sensitive Solutions. He assisted in development of CH2M HILL ‘s two-day training course on Context Sensitive Solutions, which has been taught to over 20 state DOTs and other agencies for FHWA. He also was technical editor for AASHTO on development of their recently published A Guide for Achieving Flexibility in Highway Design, May 2004. He has been a featured speaker on CSS and highway design at national and international conferences, and has served on the national AASHTO-led Thinking Beyond the Pavement/Context Sensitive Solutions Task Force. Tim is recipient of ITE’s Past Presidents’ Award, and TRB’s D. Grant Mickle Award. He is currently serving an appointment on the TRB/FHWA Research and Technology Coordinating Committee. He is a member of the TRB Task Force for the Development of a Highway Safety Manual.

John Norquist | jnorquist@cnu.org | (312) 551-7300

Mayor John Norquist is the President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism. His work promoting New Urbanism as an alternative to sprawl and antidote to sprawl's social and environmental problems draws on his experience as big-city mayor and prominent participant in national discussions on urban design and school reform. John was the Mayor of Milwaukee from 1988-2004. Under his leadership, Milwaukee experienced a decline in poverty, saw a boom in new downtown housing, and became a leading center of education and welfare reform. He has overseen a revision of the city's zoning code and reoriented development around walkable streets and public amenities such as the city's 3.1-mile Riverwalk. He has drawn widespread recognition for championing the removal of a .8 mile stretch of elevated freeway, clearing the way for an anticipated $250 million in infill development in the heart of Milwaukee. A leader in national discussions of urban design and educational issues, Norquist is the author of The Wealth of Cities, and has taught courses in urban policy and urban planning at the University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and at Marquette University. Norquist served in the Army Reserves from 1971 to 1977, earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin. He represented Milwaukee's south and west sides in the Wisconsin Legislature. He chaired the National League of Cities Task Force on Federal Policy and Family Poverty and served on the Amtrak Reform Council.

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