When the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) Commissioner said she could use help with the newly-formed Transportation Council, Heidi Marshall was pleased to offer her support as a new member. “It is interesting and it’s not a huge time commitment,” Heidi said, “and I have not done a lot of volunteer/public service in the past 10 years. I wanted to be involved.”
The Transportation Council was formed on August 24, 2018 by Chapter 238-A. The goal of the Council is “for the general purpose of defining, in partnership with the Department of Transportation and the New Hampshire general court, a 21st century, multimodal transportation network and evaluating new modes or technologies that would improve the efficiency and accessibility of any transportation source.”
While there are some preliminary plans in place, the Council is still very new and has begun by exchanging information on the current modes of transportation in New Hampshire. The Council meetings take place once a month, giving members a chance to work on actionable items in between.
There are members from all over the New Hampshire community now seated on the Council. A few of the members are NHDOT Commissioner Victoria Sheehan, Chairman State Senator Melanie Levesque, Coast Bus’s Rad Nichols, State Representative Transportation Committee Member, George Sykes, and Louis Berger’s Rail and Transit Global Practice Leader, Cosema Crawford, to name a few.
Heidi’s role as a member will include offering the local municipal engineering perspective – meaning “to be sure that the potential municipal impacts (positive or negative) are considered when evaluating recommended approaches.” Representatives from two New Hampshire regional planning commissions are also on board to provide a municipal point of view.
Each member has a specific expertise to contribute, Heidi will shed light on transportation in smaller communities and perhaps how advanced planning for transit, pedestrian trails, and newer technologies can dramatically positively influence quality of life.
We are thrilled to support such an experienced, municipal-based voice on the Transportation Council.
