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Volpe Center Highlights - October 1999

Director's Notes

Director's Notes | Focus | Safety | Mobility | Human and Natural Environment |
Economic Growth and Trade | National Security

On October 4, I joined Administrator Kelley S. Coyner and Deputy Administrator Stephen D. Van Beek at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) annual meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) and the New Mexico State Department of Highways and Transportation. Under the MOU, the Volpe Center will work with New Mexico over the next two decades to assess the inherent value of an innovative financing arrangement that includes a highway performance guarantee that should allow 120 miles of roadway to be rebuilt in a matter of years rather than decades, and save the state $89 million in maintenance costs.

The partnership with New Mexico is symbolic of the Volpe Center's emerging role as a national technical resource for state and local transportation agencies. During the past year, we began working with the Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT) to adapt a facilities management system that we initially developed for the U.S. Postal Service. In Florida, we are assisting the Executive Office of the Governor to develop a strategic plan to guide state policies and programs in space transportation and related space commerce and research and development; and, we are working with the Miami International Airport to develop a security master plan. In addition, we have been assisting state and local agencies in their efforts to deploy Intelligent Transportation Systems. The list is impressive and includes Caltrans, the Maryland State Highway Administration, Virginia DOT, as well as the City of Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

State and local project activity is not only an increasing portion of our work, but it is also professionally rewarding for Volpe Center staff, as it provides opportunities to gain insights into the challenges associated with applying advanced technology in real-world settings. It is also emblematic of the devolution occurring in Federal programs. States and local agencies are afforded greater autonomy and control, and the Federal role is one of technical assistance and program support, more than one of guidance and control. In keeping with this policy shift, we need to anticipate and seek out opportunities to assist state and local agencies, in cooperation with DOT modal administrations, with programs that are delivered through partnerships with state and local agencies. For example, we are working with the FHWA to assist AASHTO in its efforts to conduct a national workshop on the use of Asset Management methods to ensure optimal transportation infrastructure maintenance and capital investment decisions.

Going forward, state and local agencies represent an increasingly important element of our client portfolio. I challenge us all to help fulfill the vision of the Volpe Center as a valued national technical resource not only for our traditional Federal clients, but for state and local agencies as well.

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