Evaluating the Effectiveness of State Department of Transportation Investment Decisions: Linking Performance Measures to Resource Allocation
Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 12, Issue 4
Abstract
In recent years, many state departments of transportation (DOTs) have developed performance measures to monitor their transportation systems and improve transportation planning. One of the main outstanding questions with regard to using performance measures is how to best characterize the connection between resources and outcomes, particularly at a system (state) level. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of state DOT investment decisions on two performance areas: Safety and congestion. We collected expenditure and performance data from 1984–2000 and developed state-specific linear regression models for each performance area. The statistical significance and direction of influence of each expenditure category varied between models, so we used 29 transportation-system characteristics to interpret model results. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of the link between resources and outcome and will help state DOTs utilize their new funding opportunities, improve their planning procedures and address government accountability concerns.
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Acknowledgments
This research was partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSFCMS-9703319) and the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Grant (IGERT). The writers also thank the reviewers for their insightful comments and helpful suggestions. The views expressed reflect those of the writers alone.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 12 • Issue 4 • December 2006
Pages: 216 - 229
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: May 13, 2003
Accepted: Jan 12, 2005
Published online: Dec 1, 2006
Published in print: Dec 2006
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