Environmental

The mission of the Arkansas Department of Transportation’s (ARDOT) Environmental Division is to effectively and efficiently provide interdisciplinary support and assistance to ensure compliance with environmental laws, regulations, and policies in the planning, construction, and operation of a safe, efficient, and environmentally sensitive intermodal transportation system.
The Environmental Division of ARDOT is primarily responsible for ensuring that the Department adequately addresses and documents the impacts of Highway projects on the natural and social environment in compliance with regulations set forth in the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), as well as other state and federal laws pertaining to environmental protection.
It is the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) policy to develop, enhance, and maintain environmental staff expertise, and encourage state transportation agencies to do the same. To accomplish this mission and to be consistent with FHWA’s policy and ARDOT’s programmatic agreement with FHWA for processing of categorical exclusions, the Environmental Division has developed an organization that is capable of evaluating, documenting, and monitoring the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of ARDOT’s construction and maintenance activities.
The Division is divided into five sections, which are responsible for evaluating and documenting the many different potential environmental impacts from ARDOT construction and maintenance activities. These sections are Assessments, Cultural Resources, GIS & Data Management, Natural Resources, and Public Involvement.