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The Oregon Department of Transportation got more than just discussion at its Wednesday meeting in Salem – it also got a trophy and a Gold Level “Making a Difference Award” from the National Partnership for Highway Quality.

The group gave ODOT the award for its work collaborating with several environmental regulatory agencies as part of the State Bridge Delivery Program.

The awards, in their fifth year, recognize quality and service in U.S. highway programs. ODOT won in the Partnering category, as did the Michigan Department of Transportation for its work on farm lane underpasses.

NPHQ found that ODOT’s work “teaming and collaborating with 11 state and federal regulatory agencies to combine more than 14 separate environmental statutes and permits into a single set of standards proved to be an innovative application of the partnering concept,” according to its website.

Partnering with the groups helped ODOT speed the process of permitting projects on 207 bridges, and the effort should save about $73 million, according to a 2009 cost benefit analysis.

Within Oregon the state agency worked with the Fish and Wildlife, State Lands, Land Conservation and Development, and Environmental Quality departments.

Federally it worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, National Marine Fisheries Service, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Service.