Research Activities of the Department of Transportation: A Report to Congress

The Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004 was signed into law by President Bush on November 30, 2004. It embodies Secretary Mineta’s vision of a Department-wide resource to guide the coordination and management of research, development, and technology (RD&T) activities. The Act dissolves the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), creating in its stead two separate administrations: the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Through a realignment of other existing Department of Transportation (DOT) entities, RITA comprises offices with research and analytical capabilities that were previously fragmented. These include: The Office of Innovation, Research, and Education; the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center; and the Transportation Safety Institute, all previously in the former RSPA; The Office of Intermodalism previously in the Office of the Secretary (OST); The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). As envisioned by the Secretary, RITA is the DOT administration primarily dedicated to RD&T coordination and management. This document responds to Section 4(g) of the Act, which requires the RITA Administrator to submit a Report to Congress on DOT’s current and projected RD&T priorities. This report was developed with broad stakeholder input obtained through a special session at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting, a Federal Register notice, and a dedicated email address for receiving responses. The remaining sections of this report are as follows: Section 2—RITA’s vision, mission, goals, and strategies; Section 3—RD&T priorities and purposes for 2003-2008 that guide DOT research and the FY 2006 programs that support them; Section 4—Crosscutting RD&T coordination and planning processes, including collaborative efforts with other agencies and stakeholders; Section 5—Conclusion; Appendix A—FY 2006 RD&T budget requests for DOT’s operating administrations; Appendix B—Results of DOT reviews of operating administrations’ FY 2005 RD&T programs. All transportation modes are covered in the report (highways, air transportation, railroads, public transit, water transportation, and pipelines).

• Record URL:
  • http://www.rita.dot.gov/publications/research_activities_of_the_department_of_transportation_a_report_to_congress/index.html
• Corporate Authors:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 2005-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 54p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation; Budgeting; Cooperation; Coordination; Development; Federal government agencies; Highways; Interagency relations; Management; Pipelines; Public transit; Railroads; Research; Research management; Stakeholders; Strategic planning; Technology; Water transportation
• Identifier Terms: John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center; Norman Y. Mineta Research & Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004; Office of Innovation, Research, and Education; Office of Intermodalism; Transportation Safety Institute; U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics; U.S. Department of Transportation; U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; U.S. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Planning and Forecasting; Research; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01002891
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 5 2005 2:38PM