Our unit is responsible for completing environmental design reviews throughout the various design stages of roadway and bridge construction projects.
Through our environmental design reviews, we identify potential impacts to environmental resources and permitting requirements for roadway and bridge construction projects as they apply to MEPA and NEPA.
We work to ensure projects take workable measures to avoid, lessen, and mitigate damage to the environment and comply with necessary environmental regulations. We identify any potential issues that may arise with permitting and inter-agency coordination. Identifying and addressing environmental issues early on ensures scheduled deadlines are met.
For more information on MEPA and its requirements, please visit the MEPA Office website.
All federal projects must be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for compliance with NEPA. MassDOT and the FHWA have an agreement that projects with limited environmental impacts do need to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Instead, a Categorical Exclusion (CE) checklist is completed and used to meet NEPA requirements for these types of projects.
Programmatic agreement
Please see the Programmatic Agreement below for more specific information.