Special Highway and Transportation Organization

Special Highway and Transportation Organization:

            Numerous special organizations have been created by the legislatures of the individual states to carry out special transportation functions. These include the planning, construction, and operation of toll roads, toll bridges and tunnels, rapid-transit facilities, and in the case of the port of the New York Authority, bridges, tunnels, and port facilities. In 1970, receipts and disbursements of these agencies exceeded $1.2 billion.

            State legislatures or other authorities have been creating a number of special regional organizations to coordinate all transportation activities in large urban complexes. Some of these organizations are empowered to gather data and make recommendations but they can neither levy taxes to implement their findings nor control the activities of other organizations. Others have more power. It seems clear that the agencies created to date are the forerunners of many more to come.

Highway Personnel:

            Administrative and technical positions in the highway field are largely in the hands of and are controlled by civil engineers. In certain states, neither an engineering education nor professional registration is required of the chief executive officer; but the great majority of other key persons from state highway engineer down must be so qualified. In the more important positions, engineers will have heavy administrative functions and will be in constant contact with elected officials and the public. Recognition by educators that all engineers in key positions have such duties has led to increased emphasis on a broader education and written and Spoken English in many engineering curricula.

Training Programs for Professional and Preprofessional Engineers:

           

The aim of many of the programs for professionals is to provide a rapid development and rounding out of young engineers to fit them for planning, design, or administrative positions of responsibility. Such an approach is necessary since it is seldom possible today for the young engineer, on his own, to remain technically competent. Neither is it possible for him to serve a long apprenticeship under experienced men. Several approaches are used. One is to encourage professionals to take nigh time extension courses offered by nearby colleges or to attend full-time short courses and conferences. Some agencies send career employees to graduate school for a year or more with salary and expenses paid. The Federal Highway Institute which has a primarily education function.

Preprofessional employees are trained as surveyors, draftsmen, inspectors, and for other positions for which an engineering education is not essential. With the training program there may be an attractive civil-service progression leading to positions of reasonable responsibility and prestige.

Some highway agencies have also instituted in-house management-training programs for engineers in administrative positions. An alternative is to send them to management schools such as those sponsored by AASHO or given by management consultants.

More Effective Use of Engineering Manpower:

            Developments in such fields as photogrammetry and planning, design, computation, and record keeping by computer, coupled with widespread substitution of technicians, draftsmen, and clerks for engineers on routine assignments, have been employed to drastically reduce engineering requirements. As a specific example, the Wisconsin Highway department cut its engineering requirements per million dollars of construction from 10 to 4 in a 3 yr period.