environmental issues, impacts, mitigations

1. Environmental Issues, Impacts, and
Mitigations of Roads
Gordon Keller, PE, GE
Geotechnical Engineer
grkeller@fs.fed.us
gordonrkeller@gmail.com

3. A Well Built
Minimum Impact Road
• Planning/Environmental Analysis
• Location
• Design
• Construction
• Maintenance
• Road Closure or Obliteration

4. GOOD PLANNING +
GOOD ENGINEERING
(with conscience)
=
GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL
MITIGACION

5. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

6. What are the impacts
from roads?
Positive Impacts
• Improving quality of life
• Better access to schools and clinics
• Promoting development of areas
• More rapid movement of goods and
services
• Lower operating costs
• Lower cost of food and products
• Everybody wants a road

7. What are the impacts
from roads?
Negative Impacts
• Degradation of water quality
• Wildlife mortality and habitat fragmentation
• Barriers to fish and AOP movement
• Promoting movement of invasive species
• Loss of terrain
• Land use changes –forests to crops
• Pressure on reserves and sensitive areas
• Promotion of landslides and stream channel changes
• Damage to coastal areas, mangroves, and swamps
• High cost of maintenance and repairs
• Use of resources
• Deforestation and illegal logging/hunting
• Pollution and trash
• Traffic accidents

8. CURRENT ISSUES
Water quality
degradation

14. Clean Water Dirty Water

18. Rolling Dips

19. • Culverts
• Fords and LWX
• Bridges
Drainage Crossing Structures

22. A Fish Barrier
Fish Passage

23. THE PROBLEM

24. Fish Baffles
Fish Ladder

27. http://www.stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/aop_pdfs.html
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/
hydraulics/pubs/11008/hif11008.pdf
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering
/hydraulics/pubs/11008/hif11008.pdf

28. Wildlife Mortality

29. How big of a problem is
mortality, anyway?
• Vehicle-caused wildlife mortality
estimated at ONE MILLION vertebrates
each day in US
• Deer/vehicle collisions cost BILLIONS
of dollars ANNUALLY
• Virtually all wildlife species affected
• Hundreds of people killed annually

35. Huan Xi Township, China

37. V-Shape
Inverted
U-Shape
Better!

39. Monkey “Overpass”

40. Lake
Jackson-
turtle fence
leading into a
culvert
•

41. Think
in
the
Long
Term

42. Noxious Weeds/Invasive Species

43. Kosrae, Micronesia

44. Roads/Riparian Restoration Team
KNAPWEEDSBLACK LOCUSTSTAR THISTLEMUSK THISTLE
PURPLE
LOOSESTRIFE
KUDZUTAMARIX
LEAFY
SPURGEAILANTHUSRUSSIAN OLIVE

47. Roads/Riparian Restoration Team
Costos Anuales en Billones de Dolares
$1 Diseases
$1 Mollusks
$37
Mammals
$25
Microbes
$57
Insects
$34
Plants
$1 Fish
$138 Billon por Ano!!

48. Roads/Riparian Restoration Team

50. Roads/Riparian Restoration Team
Referencias
2002
David Pimentel, Lori Lach,
Rodolfo Zuniga, and Doug
Morrison.
Chapter 16
Environmental and Economic
Costs Associated with Non-
Indigenous Species in the
United States

52. COLONIALIZATION AND
LAND USE CHANGE

55. LANDSLIDES

57. COASTAL IMPACTS ON MANGROVES
AND REEFS

59. DEFORESTATION AND ILLEGAL LOGGING

61. POLLUTION AND TRASH

63. DUST

65. TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ACCIDENTS

67. Road Safety
Audits

68. POOR OR MISSING SIGNS

69. IMPROVING SIGHT DISTANCE