Transportation Infrastructure

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 requires states to develop six systems for managing highway pavement, bridges, highway safety, congestion, public transportation facilities and equipment, and intermodal transportation facilities and systems. Management systems can take various forms, including computerized inventories of assets, software programs, systematic procedures for collecting and analyzing information, and committees that make recommendations for improving the systems' performance. In 1995, legislation made the systems optional, except for the congestion management system in certain areas, and prohibited the Transportation Department from withholding funds from states that chose not to implement any system. This report identifies (1) the status of the states' development and implementation of the systems, (2) how the states expect to use the systems, and (3) the factors that have facilitated or hindered the development and implementation of the systems.

GAO found that: (1) as of September 1996, about half the states were moving forward with all six transportation management systems even though they were no longer mandatory; (2) the remaining states were developing or implementing at least three of the systems originally mandated by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991; (3) all states were implementing the pavement management system, and nearly all states were implementing the bridge, safety, and congestion management systems; (4) congestion management systems were being developed for all transportation management areas, where they are still mandatory; (5) about 30 states were implementing the public transportation and intermodal management systems; (6) the states were developing the systems for use by decisionmakers in the planning process and to help transportation officials conduct daily operations; (7) three states that GAO visited recognized that marketing the systems to potential users, such as executives, planners, and engineers, is critical to ensuring the optimal use of the systems; (8) some states have realized that to obtain the most uses from the systems, each needs to be integrated with the others; (9) nationwide, over half the states plan to integrate the systems; (10) three states that GAO reviewed indicated that the 1991 mandate provided a catalyst, or "jump start," to developing and implementing the new systems; (11) the mandate resulted in the systems' receiving high-level support and top priority status in these states; (12) although implementing the systems is now optional, several states are continuing this effort because they view the systems as beneficial to the decision-making process in that they provide more accurate, timely information than was previously available; (13) on the other hand, the removal of the federal mandate lessened support for developing certain systems; (14) some states reported that the Department of Transportation's (DOT) failure to issue a clear and timely rule on management systems following the 1991 mandate had caused difficulties in implementing the public transportation, congestion, and intermodal management systems; (15) several states told GAO that the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) was helpful in providing initial workshops and training to develop the systems; and (16) officials in all seven states that GAO reviewed indicated that they continue to need federal assistance in solving technical problems with software and learning from other states' experiences in implementing and integrating the systems.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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