2004 Conditions and Performance: Part 3

Introduction

Chapters 11 through 15 provide a more extensive discussion of several topics that were touched upon in the core analytical portion of the report, Chapters 2 through 10. These analyses are intended to provide additional insights into these issues and to highlight some related activities currently underway within the Department of Transportation.

Chapter 11, Federal Safety Initiatives, identifies current Departmental safety initiatives designed to address the safety performance issues identified in Chapter 5. The discussion is organized by agency, highlighting the safety-related activities of the Federal Highway Administration Safety Office (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

Chapter 12, Operations Strategies, presents a more detailed insight into the solutions to the problems of maintaining an acceptable degree of mobility on the Nation's highway system, while meeting the need for increased traffic volume. Several potential solutions are presented to address some of the operational performance issues raised in Chapter 4.

Chapter 13, Freight, supplies information related to various aspects of the trucking industry, including its impact on the Nation's highway system and the impact that the condition and performance of the Nation's highways have on trucking. Topics presented are the growth of freight transportation, congestion, safety, and special investment needs relating to trucking.

Chapter 14, The Importance of Transit, describes the role transit plays in the life of the American people and provides details of the demographics of transit use.

Chapter 15, Bridges, presents additional information on the status and condition of the Nation's bridges to supplement the information presented in Chapters 2 and 3.