Conference on Transportation Programming Methods and Issues

At the request of the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, the Transportation Research Board conducted a national conference bringing together known experts to review the emerging issues affecting transportation program decision-making, review current and new approaches to programming, including institutional, process, and technical aspects, and review steps required to address the emerging issues, including a research agenda that practitioners would find useful. This circular contains the conference proceedings, which provide a summary of the discussions in the workshop sessions and identify the key issues affecting programming in the future. The proceedings include a summary of the issues, approaches and problems encountered by the workshop participants and others. The knowledge gaps and research needs are also identified. The conference conclusions and recommendations are covered in sections on the changes that the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) has made in the programming environment, the issues that will affect programming in the future, and the information, technical assistance and research needs that exist. Summaries of the case studies and presentations made at the conference are also included in the resource papers so that practitioners can continue the discussion and move toward resolution of these issues.