State departments of transportation (DOTs) make commitments as they plan transportation projects, and the tracking of commitments is a necessary component to ensure adequate implementation. As DOTs consider “environmental” commitments, those related to community impact assessment and cultural resources are some of the most particular. This study analyzed the practices and methods used by DOTs to track and enforce the implementation of community and cultural resource commitments. DOT responses to the research survey, primarily from cultural resources personnel, revealed three basic tracking systems - the Green Sheet process, use of Excel spreadsheets, and electronic database systems - as the primary means of tracking and managing commitments. In addition to methodology, the survey asked about the effectiveness of commitment tracking and what practitioners saw as strengths and weaknesses in their processes. This report forefronts three examples of electronic database tracking systems, and the discussion of “best practices” centers on the advantages of an electronic database system to DOT project management activities. The study goes on to recommend a workshop where states share the work they’ve done in developing tracking systems related to community and cultural resource commitments.
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