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Patrick administration says it is creating a 'green' DOT

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 2, 2010 04:16 PM

By Globe Staff

The Patrick administration today said it is remaking the state Department of Transportation into one of the most green-focused in the nation, a plan they are calling "GreenDOT."

“By making this commitment, MassDOT has declared its contribution to creating a clean energy economy for Massachusetts,” Governor Deval Patrick said in a statement. “In the coming years, we will see the results in smarter growth, cleaner vehicles, and jobs devoted to building a lower carbon transportation system.”

According to the administration, the major change will be in the department's value system – GreenDOT will look for ways to cut greenhouse gases, boost the search for "healthy transportation options'' and push "smart growth'' where economic development is concentrated around mass transit systems.

The administration said the greenhouse gases would be cut over the next several years by "balancing highway system expansion projects with other projects that support smart growth development and promote public transit, walking and bicycling.''

In the future, for example, streets wouldl be designed to include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations as they are built, avoiding the sometimes costly effort to retrofit narrow streets and roads to allow motor vehicles and other modes of transportation to safely coexist.