Download or read book Federal aid Highways written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The federal-aid highway program provides over $25 billion a year to states for highway and bridge projects, often paying 80 percent of these projects' costs. The federal government provides funding for and oversees this program, while states largely choose and manage the projects. Ensuring that states effectively control the cost and schedule performance of these projects is essential to ensuring that federal funds are used efficiently. We reviewed the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) approach to improving its federal-aid highway project oversight efforts since we last reported on it in 2002, including (1) FHWA's oversight-related goals and performance measures, (2) FHWA's oversight improvement activities, (3) challenges FHWA faces in improving project oversight, and (4) best practices for project oversight. FHWA has made progress in improving its oversight efforts since 2002, but it lacks a comprehensive approach, including goals and measures that guide its activities; workforce plans that support these goals and measures; and data collection and analysis efforts that help identify problems and transfer lessons learned. FHWA's 2004 performance plan established, for the first time, performance goals and outcome measures to limit cost growth and schedule slippage on projects, but these goals and measures have not been effectively implemented because FHWA has not linked its day-to-day activities or the expectations set for its staff to them, nor is FHWA fully using them to identify problems and target its oversight. FHWA undertook activities in response to concerns raised about the adequacy of its oversight efforts that have both promising elements and limitations. For example, while FHWA now assigns a project oversight manager to each major project (generally projects costing $1 billion or more) and identified skills these managers should possess, it has not yet defined the role of these managers or established agencywide performance expectations for them. While FHWA issued guidance to improve cost estimating and began collecting information on cost increases, it still does not have the capability to track and measure cost growth on projects. Finally, although FHWA received direction to develop a more multidisciplinary workforce to conduct oversight, it has not fully incorporated this direction into its recruiting and training efforts. FHWA faces challenges to improving its oversight that are in large part rooted in the structure of the federal-aid highway program and in FHWA's organization and culture. As such, they may be difficult to surmount. For example, because the program does not link funding to states with the accomplishment of performance goals and outcome measures, it may be difficult for FHWA to define the role and purpose of its oversight. Also, FHWA's decentralized organization makes it difficult to achieve a consistent organizational vision. Human capital challenges affecting much of the federal government have affected FHWA, particularly in its need to transform its workforce to meet its evolving oversight mission. FHWA faces an increased oversight workload in the years ahead as the number of major projects grows and if provisions Congress is considering to increase FHWA's responsibilities become law. Questions exist about FHWA's ability to effectively absorb these new responsibilities, overcome underlying challenges, and improve its oversight. We identified selected best practices that could help FHWA develop a framework for a comprehensive approach to project oversight. These include establishing measurable goals to objectively and quantifiably assess progress, making oversight managers accountable for the effective implementation of these goals, providing professional training, and collecting and transferring lessons learned.

Download or read book Gao 05 173 Federal aid Highways written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-29 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: GAO-05-173 Federal-Aid Highways: FHWA Needs a Comprehensive Approach to Improving Project Oversight

Download or read book Federal Aid Highways written by Phillip Herr and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The federal-aid highway program provides $33 billion a year to states for highway projects. The fed. gov¿t. provides funding for and oversees this program, while states largely choose and manage the projects. This report reviewed the Federal Highway Admin.'s (FHWA) implementation of several requirements in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: (1) oversight of states using a risk management approach; (2) efforts to develop minimum standards for estimating project costs, and periodically evaluate states' cost estimating practices; and (3) reviews of states' financial management systems. Also reviews FHWA's policy on presenting an estimate of financing costs in financial plans for major projects. Charts and tables.

Download or read book Surface Transportation written by Keith A. Libermann and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an overview of the federal role in surface transportation and the goals and structures of federal programs. Since federal financing for the interstate system was established in 1956, the federal role in surface transportation has expanded to include broader goals, more programs, and a variety of program structures. The nation has reached a critical juncture with its current surface transportation policies and programs. Demand has outpaced the capacity of the system, resulting in increased congestion. In addition, without significant changes in funding levels or planned spending, the Highway Trust Fund -- the major source of federal highway and transit funding - is projected to incur significant deficits in the years ahead. Exacerbating concerns about the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund is the federal government's bleak fiscal condition and outlook. As a result, other federal revenue sources may not be available to help solve the nation's current transportation challenges. Given the scope of needed transformation, it may be necessary to shift policies and programs incrementally or on a pilot basis to gain practical lessons for a coherent, sustainable, and effective national program and financing structure to best serve the nation for the 21st century.

Download or read book High speed Passenger Rail written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Revitalizing Transportation Decision Making and Investment written by Sofia A. Virtanen and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2010 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans have long enjoyed the benefits of what is without a doubt the world's safest, most efficient, effective, and extensive transportation network ever constructed. Everyday these transit systems move millions of people to work and home again. It is a system that helps keep shipping costs low, while enabling Americans to live where and how they want. Unfortunately, it is also a system at risk. Over the past few decades, focus on the system has been lost and now money is being spread over numerous programs, which causes a dilution of federal funds taxpayers invest each year. This book presents and discusses the reasons why a better plan must be introduced in order to better transmit services and create a stronger economy.

Download or read book Surface Transportation Programs written by JayEtta Z. Hecker and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nation¿s economic vitality and the quality of life depend on the availability, dependability, and security of its surface transportation (ST) network of roads, railways, ports, and transit systems. For the past several decades, demand has outpaced the capacity of the ST system. Furthermore, fed. ST programs are not effectively addressing key challenges, such as congestion, or ensuring that transportation dollars are well spent. This report: (1) identifies key themes emphasized in proposals by stakeholders, incl. assoc. and research org., for restructuring and funding ST programs; and (2) discusses the extent to which various recommendations align with principles developed for evaluating proposals to restructure and fund ST programs. Illus.

Download or read book Public private Partnerships written by Leslie R. Kellerman and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2009 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing demands on the transportation system and constraints on public resources have led to calls for more private sector involvement in the provision of highway and transit infrastructure through what are known as "public-private partnerships" (PPPs). A PPP, broadly defined, is any arrangement whereby the private sector assumes more responsibility than is traditional for infrastructure planning, financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance. This book describes the wide variety of public-private partnerships in highways and transit, but focuses on the two types of highway PPPs that are generating the most debate: the leasing by the public sector to the private sector of existing infrastructure; and the building, leasing, and owning of new infrastructure by private entities. PPP proponents argue that, in addition to being the best hope for injecting additional resources into the surface freight and passenger transportation systems for upkeep and expansion, private sector involvement potentially reduces costs, project delivery time, and public sector risk, and may also improve project selection and project quality. Detractors, on the other hand, argue that the potential for PPPs is limited, and that, unless carefully regulated, PPPs will disrupt the operation of the surface transportation network, increase driving and other costs for the travelling public, and subvert the public planning process. Some of the specific issues raised in highway operation and costs include the effects of PPPs on trucking, low-income households, and traffic diversion. Issues raised in transportation planning include non-compete provisions in PPP agreements, unsolicited proposals, lease duration, and foreign control of transportation assets. On the question of new resources, the evidence suggests that there is significant private funding available for investment in surface transportation infrastructure, but that it is unlikely to amount to more than 10% of the ongoing needs of highways over the next 20 years or so, if that, and probably a much smaller share of transit needs. With competing demands for public funds, there is also a concern that private funding will substitute for public resources with no net gain in transportation infrastructure. The effect of PPPs on the planning and operation of the transportation system is a more open question because of the numerous forms they can take, and because they are dependent on the detailed agreements negotiated between the public and private partners. For this reason, some have suggested that the federal government needs to more systematically identify and evaluate the public interest, particularly the national public interest, in projects that employ a PPP. Three broad policy options Congress might consider in how to deal with PPPs in federal transportation programs and regulations are discussed in this book. The first option is to continue with the current policy of incremental changes and experimentation in program incentives and regulation. Second is to actively encourage PPPs with program incentives, but with relatively tight regulatory controls. Third is to aggressively encourage the use of PPPs through program incentives and limited, if any, regulation.

Download or read book Surface Transportation written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2008 written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2010 Part 4 June 4 2009 111 1 Hearings written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Climate Change written by John B. Stephenson (au) and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2006-02 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The admin. reports annually on fed. spending on climate change. OMB reports funding in 4 categories: technology (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions), science (to better understand the climate), internat. assist. (to help developing countries), & tax expend. (to encourage reductions in emissions). The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) reports only on science. To measure funding, OMB can enter into financial obligations that will result in gov't. outlays. This report examines fed. climate change funding for 1993 through 2004, including: how total funding & funding by category changed & whether funding data are comparable over time; & how funding by agency changed & whether funding data are comparable over time. Charts & tables.

Download or read book Transforming Transportaion Policy for the 21st Century written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Benefits and Costs of Highway and Transit Investments written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2005-09 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Kyoto Protocol written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Statewide Transportation Planning written by Phillip Herr and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011-04 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the statewide transportation planning process, states decide how to spend fed. transportation funds -- almost $46 billion in FY 2009. Draft legislation to reauthorize federal surface transportation legislation would, among other things, revise planning requirements to recognize states' use of rural planning org. (RPO) and require performance measurement. This report examined: (1) states' planning activities and RPOs' satisfaction that rural needs are considered; (2) states' planning challenges; (3) the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's approach to overseeing statewide planning; and (4) states' use of performance measurement and opportunities to make statewide planning more performance based. Tables. This is a print on demand report.

Download or read book The Federal Budget written by Allen Schick and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2008-05-31 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The federal budget impacts American policies both at home and abroad, and recent concern over the exploding budgetary deficit has experts calling our nation's policies "unsustainable" and "system-dooming." As the deficit continues to grow, will America be fully able to fund its priorities, such as an effective military and looking after its aging population? In this third edition of his classic book The Federal Budget, Allen Schick examines how surpluses projected during the final years of the Clinton presidency turned into oversized deficits under George W. Bush. In his detailed analysis of the politics and practices surrounding the federal budget, Schick addresses issues such as the collapse of the congressional budgetary process and the threat posed by the termination of discretionary spending caps. This edition updates and expands his assessment of the long-term budgetary outlook, and it concludes with a look at how the nation's deficit will affect America now and in the future. "A clear explanation of the federal budget... [Allen Schick] has captured the politics of federal budgeting from the original lofty goals to the stark realities of today."—Pete V. Domenici, U.S. Senate