LID As a Tool to Transform a DOT's Design Manual and Method of Doing Business: The Anacostia Urban Design Standards and the Green Highway Movement

Driven by a contentious regulatory and political environment as well as a simple desire to do better, the District of Columbia's Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun to transform the way it approaches highway design through embracing the principals of green highways and context sensitive design. Both of these initiatives emphasize innovative stormwater management, including Low Impact Development (LID) and sustainability. This transformation has brought detail and method to delivering innovative stormwater management in roadway improvements and should result in continuous improvement over time. Major factors which drove those changes include: 1) The political environment and Mayoral and City Council priorities, 2) The regulatory environment, 3) Public support, 4) A focused initiative to improve the Anacostia River and the neighborhoods identified with it, and 5) A national effort to reduce or even improve the environmental impact of the transportation system.