N E WS & N OT E S Rising Construction FHWA Begins New Program Costs May Offset Federal to Expedite Environmental Funding Gains Streamlining T A he Federal Highway Administration FHWA is encouraging its dditional funding for field division offices and state DOT environmental departments federal highway and to quickly adopt a new program to streamline the environmental transit programs could review process. be watered down because of Titled Negotiated Timeframe Wizard and implemented at FHWA spiraling construction costs headquarters in June, the program was developed during the past year that are showing no sign of STEEL based on requirements identified by FHWA's Office of Project Develop- letting up, according to an ment and Environmental Review. economist with the Ameri- UP ACEC has long advocated for regulatory reforms to help streamline can Road and Transporta- % 45 the environmental review process for transportation projects, and was tion Builders Association. successful in having such a provision included in the recently passed William Beuchner highway bill. recently told a group of The new FHWA program uses timeframes that are developed in highway advocates in consultation with lead, consulting and cooperating agencies at or near Washington that steel prices the beginning of a project. The program facilitates the development jumped by 45 percent and management of these timeframes. It also helps agencies identify between January and Sep- and overcome bottlenecks and to monitor progress on their Environ- tember of 2004, and have mental Assessments remained at that level this W EAs and Environ- year. He added that ready- mental Impact State- mix concrete has increased ments EISs . by 23 percent this year, and FHWA's Environ- asphalt paving mixtures by hat is the value of our firm? CONCRETE mental Streamlining 11 percent. UP How do we increase the value of our firm? Performance Plan calls The House of Represen- for the following: tatives in June passed its What financial information does our firm % 23