Next Generation Management of Public Transportation Projects

Driving Economic Value and Higher Quality

Today’s Top Transportation Challenges

State Departments of Transportation face a wide variety of challenges that seem to increase each year. The collective effect that time and the physical environment along with the ever growing population demographic place an extreme burden on state transportation systems. Departments of Transportation (DOT) need to implement better processes, management, and systems in order to meet these continual challenges. Are the DOTs ready?

Aging and Deteriorating Infrastructure

Seemingly an unending problem is the condition of most state highways, roads, bridges and other civil infrastructure, which deteriorate over time and drive the need for continual maintenance, upgrade, or replacement. This is true in both urban and rural areas.

Non-profit national transportation research group TRIP estimates that roadway features are likely a contributing factor in approximately one-third of all fatal and serious traffic crashes. Subs-standard pavement conditions add to motorist annual vehicle expenses. Catastrophic weather events accelerate that deterioration in unpredictable ways locally and regionally. Many state bridges across the nation have a Poor condition rating and that number increases every year, in most cases beyond the rate of targeted bridge maintenance and upgrade projects.

This degradation not only applies to physical aspects of a region’s transportation system but to its information technology as well. In the age of terrorism and computer hacks, the nation’s transportation systems are a key strategic target for those wishing to wreak havoc.

Over-Congestion

In many areas across the country, the burgeoning population, especially around urban centers, is increasing automotive flow to levels not seen before. These delays have a direct impact to the economy of the region in lost productivity as well as verifiably increasing accident rates. This drives the need for a DOT response, usually coming in the form of additional roadways, express toll lanes, highway widening projects, or other costly options.

When combining the effects of increased traffic congestion with road and bridge deterioration, many localities create the ingredients of a transportation safety cocktail that is detrimental to the health and well-being of citizenry and the reputation of the DOT.

Budgetary Constraints

The challenges facing today’s DOTs regarding infrastructure safety and vulnerability are nothing new, but they are increasing. Meanwhile, most state transportation budgets are static at best and declining at worst, creating priority decisions that don’t solve all the problems that need solving.

The Bottom Line

If you are into what you've read so far, you might want to get the entire whitepaper.  Just email me at [email protected] for the PDF.