SSTI performed a program review of MassDOT’s three-year-old reorganization and consolidation to document efficiencies and better outcomes achieved, as well as continuing challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Organizational Reform
Removing Barriers to Smarter Transportation Investments (Smart Growth America, 2012)
A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America aims to increase the Tennessee DOT’s efficiency and ensure the greatest possible return on transportation investments. As a result, TDOT has compiled a series of recommendations designed to pin down areas for improvement, prioritize projects, and streamline processes.
The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice (SSTI & SGA, 2012)
State officials across the country are facing the same challenges. Revenues are falling and budgets are shrinking while transportation demands grow. Most state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have ambitious goals: improve safety, reduce congestion, enhance economic opportunity, improve reliability, preserve system assets, accelerate project delivery, and help to create healthier, more livable neighborhoods, just to name a few.
The handbook provides 31 recommendations transportation officials can use as they position their agencies for success in the new economy. The handbook documents many of the innovative approaches state leaders are using to make systems more efficient, government more effective and constituents better satisfied.
The Connected Vehicle (World Road Association and International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies, 2012)
The advent of Intelligent Transport Systems has provided new opportunities for improving the safety and efficiency of the road network. The development of intelligent vehicles, connected by wireless networks to the roadside infrastructure, brings opportunities and issues which are discussed in this report.
Transportation Governance and Finance: A 50-State Review of State Legislatures and Departments of Transportation (National Council of State Legislatures, 2012)
From 2010 to 2011, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) partnered to produce an unprecedented, 50-state review of transportation governance and finance, based largely on …
Tracking State Transportation Dollars (Tri-State Transportation Campaign, 2012)
Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s 50-state analysis begins to answer questions about how transportation dollars are spent so the public can better un-derstand transportation priorities in their state. To do this, TSTC analyzed each state’s statewide transportation …
Economic Effects of Public Investment in Transportation and Directions for the Future (CNT and SSTI, 2012)
This report examines current economic analysis practices in state Departments of Transportation through examples in nine state transportation agencies and an extensive literature review. For additional understanding of the methods in practice, we also incorporated information …
The Colorado Energy Smart Transportation Initiative: A Framework for Considering Energy in Transportation (SSTI and Colorado DOT, 2012)
The mission of Colorado’s Energy Smart Transportation Initiative was to develop a framework for considering energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in transportation decision-making. With SSTI assistance, a collaborative team composed of federal and state agencies, MPOs, and rural planning partners came together to leverage resources and promote efficiency and effectiveness among agencies by exploring ways to develop “energy smart transportation” strategies. This report includes strategies developed to incorporate energy efficiency and GHG emissions in transportation planning, increase energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from transportation, advance environmentally friendly alternative vehicle and fuel technologies, and increase efficiency through truck fleet enhancements, improved traveler information, and other methods.
The Nature of Context-Sensitive Solutions, Stakeholder Involvement and Critical Issues in the Urban Context (Mineta Transportation Institute, 2011)
Many transportation and planning agencies experience conflicting demands emerging from the need to develop projects in an expeditious manner while at the same time involving stakeholders in the decision-making process. This study examines the issue in the …
Metropolitan Planning Organization Reform
Overview Since the early 1990s, federal law has increased the authority of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and pending federal legislation is likely to give them additional spending powers and responsibilities. Yet, as important arms of local government, MPOs are …