Prior to joining SCJ Alliance, Lisa Reid led the development and launch of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool (INVEST), which launched in October 2012. INVEST was designed to help states, regional planning organizations, transportation agencies, and professionals integrate sustainability into their transportation agency’s programs and projects by self-evaluating using 80 practical, web-based, criteria/best practices. The tool allows users to learn about sustainability, including specifics about each of the criteria, then incorporate best practices to increase their sustainability performance.

INVEST Version 1.3 has  four modules to evaluate projects and programs, including:

• System Planning Module for Regions – For MPOs, COGs, and other regional agencies to evaluate their long-range transportation planning and other system planning practices, policies, and plans
• System Planning Module for States – For states and local agencies to evaluate their long-range transportation planning and other system planning practices, policies, and plans
• Project Development Module – To evaluate the sustainability of a project
• Operations and Maintenance Module – For agencies to evaluate the sustainability of their operations and maintenance programs

SCJ Alliance was selected to update INVEST from Version 1.2 to Version 1.3 (including minor edits and errata type changes) and then to Version 2.0.  While previously focused on roadways, Version 2.0 incorporates mobile tablet and phone users, new tools and features, and transit-based criteria. Nineteen new criteria are being added and several existing criteria are undergoing major revisions to respond to user feedback, keep up with the evolution of sustainability, and incorporate transit throughout the tool.

Learn more on the INVEST website.