STATE DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION: A PERSPECTIVE

Since 1959 state governments have been reorganizing their transportation function. This paper provides a current perspective on the movement to state departments of transportation. Public wishes and federal mandates first shaped the evolving state role in transportation into one centered almost exclusively on highways. By the late 1960s, the monumental scale in highway building, particularly of the Interstate system, appears to have precipitated an erosion of the values placed on highways, especially at the national level. State values and priorities are highly individualistic, however, so the movement to state departments of transportation has been an uneven one, Since some 28 states have now formed transportation departments, this is an opportune time for a comparative analysis of states according to whether they have departments of transportation. Our statistical and quasi-experimental analyses indicate that states with departments of transportation differ significantly from those without, in terms of both socioeconomic development and modal emphases. The future of the movement appears uncertain and may well depend on future federal policies. /Author/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/603/603-003.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=STATE+DEPARTMENTS+OF+TRANSPORTATION%3a+A+PERSPECTIVE&author=A.+Porter&author=T.+Larson&publication_year=1976
• Availability:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Organization and Administration. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Porter, Alan L
  • Larson, Thomas D
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 11-15
• Monograph Title: Management of transportation and environmental review functions
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 603
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Policy; Road construction; State government; Statistical analysis; Strategic planning; Transportation departments; Transportation operations
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Department of Transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Comparative analysis
• Old TRIS Terms: Transportation administration
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Policy;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00155985
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309025737
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 15 1977 12:00AM