Friday, 11 January 2013

Other federal Agencies


Other federal Agencies:

            Among the many other federal agencies whose highway interests overlap those of FHWA are the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Urban Mass Transit Administration, both of which report directly to the Secretary of Transportation. The U.S Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Indian Service all administer substantial road networks.

State Highway and State Transportation Departments:

            The Public highways of the country are under the full control of the 50 state governments. In most states administrative authority has in turn partly been delegated to state highway departments and partly to countries and cities or other lower units of government.

            Several state highway departments now also have been given legal control of all, or virtually all, rural roads. North Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware are examples. All state highway departments also have authority over some routes in cities. Also, under the federal-aid highway acts, state highway departments must administer all federal-aid programs.

State highway departments differ greatly in size. Mileages administered range from less than 500 to more than 70,000; annual expenditures from less than $50 million to than $1.1 billion. Organization varies in accordance with state law. Typically, departments are headed either by a director or by a commission of three-seven members (with a director or chief engineer). A director’s responsibility is clear and centralized, but frequently he has and needs an advisory board. Under the commission form of organization, responsibility may be divided; and if its members represent respective state subdivisions, there is a tendency to distort the annual state highway budget to satisfy local demands, Commissioners appointed at large by the governor and with staggered terms therefore may be preferable. The director or chief engineer under a commission usually (but not always) is appointed by the commission. Governors usually appoint directors (Sometimes superintendents), who obviously are subject to political changes.

Local Road Organizations:

            With a few exceptions, the most heavily traveled roads in a state are administered by the state highway department. In marked contrast, some 33,000 country, town and township, urban, and special agencies administer local roads and streets. Sizes and organization of these agencies differ widely. Many of them have good engineering and administrative supervision; others do not. For example, almost the entire personnel of some agencies may be changed after an unfavorable election.

            Country and local road administrations are being improved steadily. Among the changes are the classification of roads and streets by the state law, with state aid restricted to the more heavily traveled routes; the inventory of all local raods by highway planning surveys; widespread adoption of civil service in place of the once prevalent spoils system; and the consolidation of several road administrations into a single unit under a qualified engineer.

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