<DOC>
[1997 Senate Hearings]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access]
[DOCID: f:45160.wais]
S. Hrg. 105-269
NOMINATION OF KENNETH R. WYKLE
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
on the
NOMINATION OF KENNETH R. WYKLE TO BE
ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
__________
OCTOBER 28, 1997
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
45-160 cc WASHINGTON : 1997
_______________________________________________________________________
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC
20402
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS
JOHN H. CHAFEE, Rhode Island, Chairman
JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia MAX BAUCUS, Montana
ROBERT SMITH, New Hampshire DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN, New York
DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Idaho FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey
JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma HARRY REID, Nevada
CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming BOB GRAHAM, Florida
CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut
TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas BARBARA BOXER, California
WAYNE ALLARD, Colorado RON WYDEN, Oregon
JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
Jimmie Powell, Staff Director
J. Thomas Sliter, Minority Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
OCTOBER 28, 1997
OPENING STATEMENTS
Baucus, Hon. Max, U.S. Senator from the State of Montana......... 3
Bond, Hon. Christopher S., U.S. Senator from the State of
Missouri....................................................... 11
Chafee, Hon. John H., U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode Island 2
Warner, Hon. John W., U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of
Virginia....................................................... 10
WITNESSES
Rahall, Hon. Nick, U.S. Representative from the State of West
Virginia....................................................... 1
Wykle, Kenneth R., nominated by the President to be Administrator
of the Federal Highway Administration.......................... 4
Committee questionnaire...................................... 19
Prepared statement........................................... 13
Responses to additional questions from:
Senator Boxer............................................ 17
Senator Chafee........................................... 16
Senator Lautenberg....................................... 14
(iii)
NOMINATION OF KENNETH R. WYKLE
----------
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1997
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9 a.m. in room
406, Senate Dirksen Building, Hon. John H. Chafee (chairman of
the committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Chafee, Bond, Warner, and Baucus.
Senator Chafee. Good morning, everyone. I'd like to welcome
you all here this morning, and particularly General Wykle. I
understand your wife, Mary, is here; we met her earlier, and I
understand your son, John, is also here.
Before we proceed, Congressman Rahall is here and would
like to make a brief introductory statement on behalf of
General Wykle. Senator Warner also would like to make a
statement; he will be coming along a little later.
Congressman why don't you proceed? We're glad you're here.
STATEMENT OF HON. NICK RAHALL, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE
STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
Mr. Rahall. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate
the opportunity to present to you this morning a distinguished
constituent of mine. It is also a delight to be with my former
colleague from the House, Senator Max Baucus.
I am before you this morning--and it is a high honor for
me--to present to the committee Lieutenant General Kenneth R.
Wykle, President Clinton's nominee to be Administrator of the
Federal Highway Administration. General Wykle is a native of
Ronceverte, WV, which is located in the third congressional
district, which I have the privilege of representing in the
House of Representatives.
Mr. Chairman, Senator Baucus, West Virginians have a proud
tradition of serving their country in times of both war and
peace. General Wykle's 32-year Army career represents that
tradition at its best, and if the wisdom of the committee be so
inclined, he is prepared to carry that tradition of proud
service into civilian government as FHWA Administrator.
Mr. Chairman, I first became acquainted with General
Wykle's transportation expertise in 1994, when he presented
testimony on the proposed National Highway System before the
House Subcommittee on Surface Transportation. Those were better
days because I happened to serve as chairman of the
subcommittee at that time.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Rahall. In any event, Mr. Chairman, in his capacity as
Deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Transportation Command,
General Wykle presented some very compelling testimony on the
importance of an efficient highway system to strategic
mobility, especially with respect to the STRAHNET, which we of
course have incorporated into the NHS.
Mr. Chairman, committee members, General Wykle's
qualifications to serve as FHWA Administrator are apparent, and
I will not belabor them at this point. However, I do want to
conclude by noting that over 100 years ago, it was a military
officer, General Roy Stone, who in 1893 became the Federal
Government's first special agent and engineer for road inquiry.
He launched an agency which eventually built the Interstate
Highway System in the 20th century.
I think it appropriate that today, President Clinton has
chosen another military officer, General Wykle, to lead the
FHWA into the 21st century, where the Nation will face a whole
new set of transportation-related challenges. I believe General
Wykle is the right person at the right time to face those
challenges, and I commend him to you at this time, Mr.
Chairman.
Senator Chafee. Well, thank you very much, Congressman, for
taking the effort to come over here. That's very, very helpful
to us. I know you have a very busy schedule, so we won't ask
you to stay if you have appointments elsewhere.
Mr. Rahall. Thank you.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN H. CHAFEE, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Senator Chafee. The purpose of today's hearing is to
receive testimony from General Wykle, the President's nominee
to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
I am so glad this nomination is here. Regrettably, there
has been a gap in this position since Secretary Slater was
confirmed in early February of this year. The committee
therefore plans to act expeditiously on this nomination; in
fact, we have scheduled a business meeting to vote on this
nomination for tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. It is my hope
that, if all is in order, the Senate will act quickly so that,
if approved here, General Wykle can be confirmed before the
Congress adjourns this year.
I am pleased to report, as the Congressman has pointed out,
that General Wykle has a distinguished record of service. He
served in the U.S. Army for 32 years, where he led a number of
organizations and commands in the United States, Europe, and
Asia. He also had extensive experience in managing the
transportation of personnel and cargo by air, rail, highway,
and ship. I am confident that he will continue to build on this
excellent record if he is confirmed as Federal Highway
Administrator.
If confirmed, General Wykle will represent the Department
of Transportation and advise the Secretary on all matters
relating to the efficient movement of passengers and freight on
the Nation's transportation system. The Federal Highway
Administration is responsible for implementing a wide range of
programs, including the Federal-aid Highway Program; highway
safety programs; motor carrier programs; the Federal Lands
Highway Program; research and technology, and international
programs.
An issue that is on everyone's mind is the reauthorization
of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, the
so-called ``ISTEA.'' General Wykle, when your predecessor,
Rodney Slater, appeared before this committee 5 years ago,
Congress had recently passed ISTEA--that is, the first ISTEA of
1991. During that hearing we focused on the key role that the
Federal Highway Administration would play in carrying out the
new transportation law. Here we are, 5 years later, working on
the reauthorization of that landmark law.
As you know, the Federal Highway Administration's role
continues to be a critical one in helping us to do our work.
The agency provides us with technical assistance in developing
legislation such as that. Moreover, the Federal Highway
Administration will write the regulations and guidance to carry
out the new law, and will work closely with the State
Departments of Transportation and with the individual States
and the Congress.
I look forward to working with you, General, if you are
confirmed, and with your staff, through the reauthorization
process and through the implementation process once the bill is
enacted.
As we mentioned yesterday when you came by for a visit, it
is terribly important that we get out the rules to implement
the new law as quickly as possible. It is also incumbent upon
the Federal Highway Administrator to protect not only the key
Federal role in implementing ISTEA, but also the broad
perspective needed to guide the Nation's transportation system
into the next century. In other words, it isn't just carrying
out what we pass; it's looking to the future, what kind of
transportation system we're going to have in this country.
The enactment of ISTEA in 1991, as you and I discussed
yesterday, transformed what was once simply a highway program
into a program not only for building roads and bridges, but
also for enhancing our mobility and our safety in the
environment. In the second ISTEA we must move forward and
strengthen ISTEA's laudable goals of intermodalism,
flexibility, and efficiency.
So we welcome you here, General.
Senator Baucus.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MAX BAUCUS, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF MONTANA
Senator Baucus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First of all, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for quickly
scheduling this hearing. As you mentioned, we have a vacancy,
and it is good that you are acting as quickly as you are.
I do not know Lieutenant General Wykle very well at all; we
had a brief conversation in my office, but based on that
conversation and his record, I think he is going to do a great
job. I noticed that he has an MS in human resource management.
I think that he could use those skills up here; Congress needs
somebody like that to manage us a little bit better than we are
managed, given the deadlock that we are now facing on the floor
of the Senate.
[Laughter.]
Senator Baucus. Nevertheless, in addition to that degree
and the skills that he has as a result of that degree, he
obviously has spent most of his career in transportation and
logistics, moving personnel and cargo, etc. I notice he also
commanded a group in Vietnam or Laos----
General Wykle. A truck company.
Senator Baucus [continuing]. A truck company, that's right.
So that is helpful, too.
I guess the main point I want to stress is one that you
mentioned, Mr. Chairman, and that is that I hope, General
Wykle, that you are pretty aggressive in managing the agency.
You have a lot of experience; you have seen a lot, worldwide;
you have a sense of what other countries do, having observed
them and having taken note of that, and I encourage you to be
quite aggressive in doing your job. In other words, you're not
there just to sit and manage. You are there also to come up
with new ideas. I think you will find this committee quite
responsive and receptive to new ideas, because you always want
to move ahead. You don't want to just keep treading water, but
move ahead. I welcome you to the job and wish you good luck.
General Wykle. Thank you.
Senator Chafee. Now, General, if you have a statement, we
would be glad to receive it.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL KENNETH R. WYKLE (USA-RET.),
NOMINATED TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY
ADMINISTRATION
General Wykle. Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Chafee and
Senator Baucus.
It is a pleasure to appear before you today as you consider
my nomination to be the Administrator of the Federal Highway
Administration at the Department of Transportation. I
especially appreciate the efforts of the committee to expedite
my nomination during one of this committee's busiest
legislative periods.
I am also pleased today that my best friend and partner for
30-plus years and my son could join us, so I appreciate your
recognizing them today.
I am honored to have been recommended by Secretary of
Transportation Rodney Slater and nominated for this position by
President Clinton. Both the President and Secretary Slater
recognize the crucial role of highways in our transportation
system and their impact on our Nation's economy, national
security, and quality of life. If confirmed, it would be a
privilege to work with them and this committee to ensure that
we build a strong national intermodal transportation system for
the 21st century.
As the former Deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S.
Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, I know first-hand how very
much we rely on our Nation's highways and the entire
transportation system to move people and goods in this country.
Highways are the backbone of our current intermodal
transportation system. At TRANSCOM we were responsible for
providing and arranging transport services worldwide during
peace and war. In cooperation with our commercial industry
partners, we moved thousands of personnel and millions of tons
of cargo in support of humanitarian operations and during times
of national crises. We experienced first-hand the need, both in
peace and in time of international turmoil, for safe, reliable,
efficient transportation.
These events demonstrated the requirements for a connected,
seamless national and international intermodal transportation
system. I would bring this recent experience, plus almost 16
years' experience living in Europe and Asia and working with or
using their commercial transportation systems, to the position
of Federal Highway Administrator.
I would ask for a moment that you think of our Nation's
transportation system like the human circulatory system: an
efficiently functioning intermodal transportation system is
essential to our Nation's economic welfare and survival, just
as a fully functional circulatory system is essential to our
bodies. The Nation's intermodal transportation system must
enable the people and goods to move efficiently throughout the
country and the world, or the economy and our quality of life
will lose vitality and productivity, just as the human body
will fail when its circulatory system becomes clogged. As we
properly maintain and strengthen the body, we must do the same
for this Nation's transportation infrastructure.
I personally find the search for solutions to our Nation's
challenges rewarding. If confirmed, I look forward to forming a
strong alliance with this committee, dedicated industry,
Government, and academic partners, and representatives from
environmental and other affected transportation interests to
create a truly national intermodal transportation system that
is interoperable with global transportation systems.
A few weeks ago, Secretary Slater transmitted to you the
Department of Transportation's strategic plan for 1997 to 2002.
The five strategic goals laid out in the plan provide the right
foundation for improving the performance of the Nation's
transportation system, and if confirmed, I would be guided by
these goals as the Federal Highway Administrator. I agree with
the Secretary that the Department's strategic plan provides the
direction for achieving transportation excellence in the 21st
century. The goals are basic, but reflect and balance the
complexities of the national transportation system. They are
safety, mobility, productivity, human and natural environment,
and national security.
I believe these goals are fully reflected in the Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, ISTEA, reauthorization
legislation advanced by this committee and the Administration.
Indeed, the bill reported out by this committee, ISTEA II, and
the Administration's proposal have much in common. I am aware
of the difficult issues yet to be resolved, and I pledge to
work with you in any way possible to obtain a multiyear
reauthorization bill based on the principles of ISTEA.
The National Highway System, which was enacted into
legislation 2 years ago, will serve as the keystone of a
transportation system that will serve this Nation well into the
21st century. The total system will continue to foster
productivity and mobility, and it must be enhanced as we
leverage technology, information systems, and our great human
resources. We cannot continue to build highways as we have the
last 40 years. We must turn our focus to an efficient national
intermodal system that is interoperable with the global
transportation systems, using technology and information to
significantly increase the capacity and productivity of our
current infrastructure.
In closing, I am honored to appear before you today, and if
confirmed, I pledge to work with you and all of our partners to
achieve transportation excellence in the 21st century. I thank
this committee for the courtesy and considerations extended to
me. I look forward to your questions.
Thank you very much, sir.
Senator Chafee. Thank you very much, General.
There are two mandatory questions which I will ask you now.
Are you willing, at the request of any duly constituted
committee of the Congress, to appear in front of it as a
witness?
General Wykle. I am, sir.
Senator Chafee. Do you know of any matters which you may or
may not have thus far disclosed which might place you in any
conflict of interest if you are confirmed in this position?
General Wykle. I do not, sir.
Senator Chafee. Now, General, I was very interested in the
five points which you set forth, and I would just like to
follow up on that a little bit. I am going to discuss the
environmental part of the ISTEA legislation.
It seems to me--and certainly, this was the philosophy of
ISTEA I--that clearly, obviously, transportation benefits
society through moving goods and people, but at the same time
we recognized in that legislation that the construction of
these roads and the heavy traffic on them has a negative impact
on the surrounding environment.
ISTEA I and II, has provided States and localities with
directed funds, specific funds, to offset air pollution and
some of the other costs of transportation that are imposed upon
the environment. These are, of course, the CMAQ programs and
the enhancement programs. Some Members of Congress would like
to allow States to transfer funds from the CMAQ or from the
transportation enhancements and other environmental programs,
take them out of that and put them into highway construction.
What is your opinion on allowing funds from ISTEA's
environmental programs to be used for highway construction?
General Wykle. Sir, as you know, there are many elements or
pieces to the current ISTEA and the proposed ISTEA II, and
within each of those programs, certain moneys are designated
for particular uses by the States. It is my opinion that the
States have a lot of flexibility in terms of using those
individual programs to meet the needs for which they are
specified, and it is not necessary to transfer money out of the
environmental piece to do other types of work. I believe there
is adequate funding in the National Highway System, the bridges
program, the surface transportation program, to do those things
that need to be done in those areas, and that money that is
designated for the environmental area, congestion management,
and air quality should be retained in that area for those
specific types of projects.
There are certain things, I think, that deserve special
attention and need to be focused upon from the national level,
so those environmental funds can be used for that purpose and
are very appropriate in that particular category.
Senator Chafee. There is a good deal of concern in Congress
over truck sizes and weights. Some Members believe we should
relax the current restrictions on weight and size limits on
Interstates, and some Members want to go to the longer
combination vehicles and lift the freeze that we have on that.
Others believe that current restrictions have to be tougher,
and that all triple trailers and overweight vehicles should be
banned from the Interstates.
Do you have any thoughts on the issue of truck sizes and
weights? That's something that's going to come before you,
clearly.
General Wykle. Well, as you have indicated, sir, the
current ISTEA has a freeze on that, and the proposed ISTEA II
continues that freeze.
The agency currently has a study under way to look at this
very issue, to try to help us in making a recommendation on the
weight-size issue. The Department is a little bit behind on
that study in terms of the time in which it was to be
delivered, but it is on track now, so my thoughts are that we
need to wait until the study is completed, see what comes out
of that before we come forth with a recommendation. But at this
time, I think it's a little too early to say.
Senator Chafee. I have some further questions, but I'll
hold up on these and let Senator Baucus ask some questions.
I would say this, as we discussed yesterday, these other
countries are doing some interesting things. All the
innovativeness isn't in the United States. I hope you get a
chance, take a chance, to take a look around the world. You
have already; as you introduced your wife, I was thinking
mentally, I wonder how many times they've moved?
[Laughter.]
General Wykle. I think it's in the range of 26 or 27, sir.
Senator Chafee. I suspect so. So in the course of that--
you've been to Europe, I'm sure, served in Germany, obviously
served in the Far East, so you've seen what's taking place. I
just hope you continue to observe what else is taking place
around the world. Don't be reluctant to take a trip and see
what's out there; now you'll be looking with different eyes
than you were before, because we can use a lot of
innovativeness in our country.
Senator Baucus.
Senator Baucus. Thank you.
General you've thought a little bit about this job, I'm
sure. What do you hope to accomplish when you leave? What are
your goals, what do you hope to accomplish, and how do you want
to be remembered, and for what would you like to be remembered?
General Wykle. I would like to be remembered in a couple of
areas, sir, in terms of having had an influence on the highway
program within this country and contributing overall to the
Nation's transportation system.
Within those five goals that Secretary Slater laid out, I
really want to work hard on the intermodal piece of that. I
think it is essential that we have the capability to transfer
goods and people between the various modes of transportation in
this country efficiently and effectively, to increase the
productivity and economic well-being of our country.
I want to be remembered for contributing to using
technology, leveraging commercial technology that is available
today to improve the capacity and capability of our current
highway system, as well as our other transportation systems.
But I think there is a tremendous opportunity for us now to
take advantage of technology to get greater capacity and
productivity out of the current transportation infrastructure
that we have.
One of those areas is intelligent transportation systems.
There are just a lot of opportunities out there. As an example,
on toll roads where they do exist within the various States,
using radio frequency-type tags to speed the movement of
vehicles and cargo through the toll plazas. They have Fast
Toll, E-Z Pass, other types of terms applied to it, but that is
one area.
There is weight and motion where trucks do not have to pull
into weigh stations all the time to be weighed--that requires
them to stop and slow down and lose productive time. We can
come up with ways that trucks can travel the Interstate and not
have to stop to do these types of things.
Intelligent cruise control, crash avoidance systems--there
are all kinds of technology that have application within the
highway area that I would like to leverage and use to really
maximize the capacity that we currently have.
I think a key area also is connectors. If we're going to
have a truly intermodal system, and the Interstate is basically
completed, we now must ensure that we have the connectivity
from the highways to the rail yards to the ocean terminals to
the airports, and means for passengers to move rapidly from one
mode of transportation to another. So we need to concentrate on
getting those connectors done.
So when you sum all of that up, working toward increasing
the capacity and productivity of our system through the use of
technology and information systems, combined with making the
system more intermodal and maintaining the infrastructure we
have to a high quality.
Senator Baucus. I appreciate that. It is obvious that
you've thought a lot about it, and that's good. I agree that
there should be much greater emphasis on developing new
technologies to create more efficiencies along the lines that
you have suggested.
Do you have a sense whether, generally, the United States
is meeting its infrastructure needs? We sometimes hear that
some countries, say like Japan, spend four times what we do as
a percent of our GDP on infrastructure, and I think Germany or
Europe is two times. But it's a concern that a lot of people
have. I'm just curious as to what your thoughts are about all
that.
General Wykle. Well, I will give you two thoughts in
answering that.
Personally, as an individual citizen, as I drive around
this country and travel extensively, it is my intuitive feeling
that our Interstate highways are declining in industrial areas
and in those areas around ports and rail yards, and where we
have the high concentration of commercial-type activities. As
we get out into more rural areas, there is not quite as much
deterioration. That's the intuitive perception.
During the briefings that I received in preparation for
this hearing I did look at that specific area because I was
interested in comparing the data, if you will, to my intuitive
feeling. The data shows that over the last 2 to 3 years,
primarily as a result of ISTEA, the deterioration in rural
roads has basically been stopped, been stabilized. The amount
of roads classified as ``poor'' has decreased from about 9
percent or 9.5 percent down to the 7 percent to 7.5 percent
range. So it's a percentage or so drop in the category of poor
roads throughout the rural areas of the United States.
But when you look at the industrial areas, the urban areas,
it's basically stabilized. There has not been any decrease. It
was 9.5 percent; it's down to about 9.3 percent. So I guess
from the data that's out there, the best that we have done is
basically stabilized the deterioration. That's why I think it's
very important that we work hard to maintain, to repair, to
rehabilitate what we have so that we can get more productivity
and efficiency out of it.
Senator Baucus. Thank you very much.
I am curious if you have any thoughts about roads that
access parks, National Parks and National Forests and so forth.
I'm from the west; we have a lot of Federal land in the west,
National Parks and National Forests, etc. The population of the
State of Montana is close to 900,000; we had over 3 million
tourists visiting the parks last year in busy Montana, and most
of them go to visit the parks.
Do you think there should be some attention paid to those
States that provide services for access to public lands--that
is, in terms of writing a highway formula?
General Wykle. Well, sir, as you and I talked in your
office, this formula issue is a major challenge. It's a matter
of priorities and the establishment of those priorities. I
would certainly commit to you that as the Federal Highway
Administrator, if confirmed, I would work with you and other
Members of this committee to try to develop a fair and balanced
formula.
Senator Baucus. You will do very well.
[Laughter.]
Senator Baucus. Thank you very much.
Senator Chafee. I think you will do well to avoid that
thicket.
[Laughter.]
Senator Baucus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Chafee. Thank you, Senator.
General one of the concerns that we all have is that it is
incredible that in the United States alone, there are 41,000
highway deaths a year, and some 3.5 million collisions. All too
often we think about the deaths and brush off the collisions,
but we've all known people just suffering ghastly injuries from
collisions that don't move into the death toll, but nonetheless
result in such severe injuries that the effects of those
injuries remain with those individuals for the rest of their
lives.
It's a tough area. I remember when I was in the State House
in our State, we used to talk about the ``three Es,''
engineering, enforcement, and education, driver training and so
forth and so on. Engineering is the design of the roads,
enforcement being the police, particularly the State Police. Of
course, all of this in recent years has tied into our efforts
to increase seatbelt usage, and of course, we're into the
airbag business now to some degree.
Do you have any thoughts on what might be done, what we
might do or what you think we ought to do, to try to pull down
these horrible figures?
General Wykle. Well, sir, I certainly agree with you that
they are way too high. As you noticed in my opening comments,
one of Secretary Slater's primary goals is safety. That is the
No. 1 priority within FHWA and within the Department. The FHWA
has responsibility for the roads and the safety of our roads
and bridges, so I certainly want to emphasize that piece of it
by strongly supporting the Interstate maintenance program, our
bridge maintenance program, those types of things. But there is
not one silver bullet, in my estimation, and I think the
summary you gave in terms of the ``three Es'' is very
applicable. There are several things that have to be taken
together. We need to get the synergy from all of those.
In addition to the engineering and the repair and
maintenance of our roads, we need to look at avoiding crashes.
This country has done a lot in terms of protecting the occupant
in terms of seatbelts and airbags and rollover protection. We
need to look at how to avoid the crashes. So I think that
intelligent cruise control, some type of forward infrared-
looking type radar that may eventually go on vehicles to
preclude vehicles from getting too close, a way for truckers to
see what's in the blind spots on the highways--those types of
things, using technology, can help us.
Certainly, education. Human behavior is a major factor, so
we have to have education-type programs that go out and get the
word around about using seatbelts, airbags, the dangers of
drunk driving, driving under the influence, those types of
things. So it's a combination within the agency. I will be
primarily concentrating on the maintenance of the roads and the
safety of the roads, and then working with the other agencies
within the Department across the board in the other areas.
Senator Chafee. I have just been informed--I wasn't sure of
it--that the Administration has come out for the .08 alcohol
blood content. Is that correct?
General Wykle. Yes, that's correct, sir.
Senator Chafee. All right.
Senator Warner, did you want to introduce the witness?
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN W. WARNER, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Senator Warner. Mr. Chairman, I was on the floor of the
Senate this morning, opening the Senate at 9 o'clock, and I
apologize to the General. I also thereafter made a few remarks,
hopefully on behalf of this committee, on the need to get our
bill up, explaining how, in the wake of the tumbling markets
worldwide, this piece of legislation provides stability in the
job market which could well be needed at this point of time in
our history. If I may say, I gave something of an impassioned
speech in trying to maybe persuade a mind or two as we approach
the hour of 10 o'clock and have another vote on cloture.
Senator Chafee. So if it passes, you get credit----
Senator Warner. No, no, Mr. Chairman----
[Laughter.]
Senator Warner [continuing]. I have found out around this
institution, learning under you these many years, that if you
want to get anything done, don't take credit for it.
But I've had the opportunity to visit with the General, and
I would like to place into the record my brief remarks, which I
was told would be delivered at 9:30, but I judge that the chair
and the ranking member started out a little earlier.
So we are here. I have a question at the appropriate time,
but I will defer my question to others who were here earlier.
Senator Chafee. All right.
Senator Bond.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, U.S. SENATOR
FROM THE STATE OF MISSOURI
Senator Bond. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I join in
welcoming the General.
Actually, I came here to extend a particular invitation to
come visit Missouri, because all of the things that have been
discussed by the chair and the chairman of the subcommittee are
real problems that we face in Missouri. We are a very highway-
dependent State, and the chairman has been a great fighter for
highway safety and I support his efforts and I support the
bill. I hope that we can get it up and vote on it today, but
we, too, have had more than our share of highway tragedies in
our State. It's not the fancy things; it's not the extra gee-
gaws that we need to make our highways safer. We have heavily
traveled Interstates; we have heavily traveled National Highway
System roads that are now two-lane, two-way highways carrying
12,000 or 15,000 cars a day, and too often--usually someone
from out-of-State--comes in and pulls out to pass, thinking
it's a four-lane. We have lost good friends, we have lost
acquaintances, we have lost community leaders because our
highways are not adequate for the heavy traffic that they are
carrying.
We are also a State that is blessed with two major rivers
running along our borders and cutting through our States, and
we have to have bridges over them. Your comments about bridges
are very well taken, and we have needs for them. So I will be
doing what I can to support Senator Warner and Senator Chafee
in moving the bill forward, and I look forward to working with
you as we consider the problems that we have in assuring
adequate transportation for the convenience of our citizens,
for the economic growth and development of our State, but most
of all for the safety of our traveling public.
So we welcome you and look forward to supporting you, and I
hope we can get you confirmed and the bill passed, all in one
``swell foop.''
General Wykle. That would be great, sir.
I will say to you, I am very familiar with the State of
Missouri, but I would welcome the opportunity to come back.
Senator Bond. We will give you the best barbecue. We'll
take you all over and show you our wonderful needs and our
gracious hospitality, I hope.
General Wykle. Thank you very much, sir.
Senator Chafee. Senator Warner.
Senator Warner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General I guess I'm particularly pleased that you have
volunteered to take on this responsibility, because I have
watched your predecessors over the years struggle with the
difficulty of trying to balance the need for the Federal
Highway Administration to oversee projects, and at the same
time to give maximum flexibility to the States to do the
projects on the schedules and within reasonable periods of
time.
Senator Chafee and I have some familiarity with naval
construction, where it takes--from the design board until the
time that a modern warship ploughs the waves in an operational
status--6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years. I find it perplexing that much of
the highway system, likewise, takes these very substantial
periods of time. One is led to believe that perhaps the
exorbitant amount of time that is required is a consequence of
this dual management of Federal and State. ISTEA I moved the
States into positions of greater authority on a variety of
issues; ISTEA II, which hopefully will be passed, likewise
takes that momentum and moves it further down the field to give
more authority to the States.
But have you had an opportunity to look into what I believe
are egregious time periods consumed by the need to work Federal
and State supervision over the planning and construction of a
typical road in America, and how we can shorten that time?
General Wykle. Sir, I have not had time to look at the
specific steps involved in doing that, but I am very sensitive
to your issue. As you commented for the military aspects, and
your background as well as mine, you know that we like to give
commanders as much flexibility as possible at the lower levels,
so I am very sensitive to your interest in giving the States
more flexibility.
I will say to you that we have a study ongoing right now
within the Department to look at the hierarchical structure
within the Federal Highway Administration, because we have
Division offices in the States, we have regions, and then we
come to the Federal level. One of the ideas is asking ourselves
internally whether or not the regions are still required and
what functions they perform that can be delegated or empowered
down to the States. So if confirmed, sir, I certainly will take
that on and look at it. I am very sensitive to what you are
commenting on and aware of the interest in this area.
Senator Warner. Well, General, as an observer here on the
scene for some several years, the graveyards are filled with
public servants buried under studies. Mountains of studies are
stored throughout our Federal system. Don't let a study deter
you from using your own initiative and drawing on your own
background. I cannot State with precision the statistic, but
there was a period during World War II when we built more
bridges in 9 months, particularly in Europe, than this country
had constructed in almost its entire existence, albeit those
were somewhat temporary in their construction. But it at least
showed the ability of people, given the authority, to at least
cross a waterway. So think of that as you go along, and listen
to the echo in your ear of George Patton as he called upon his
engineers to put those bridges across the waterways of Europe
so that his motorized vehicles could carry on with the war.
General Wykle. Thank you, sir. I appreciate that advice and
I will do that.
Senator Warner. I've got a picture, if you really want it,
of Patton standing on the Rhine River, looking at his
engineers, and I think he's complimenting them on getting
across. And he's doing something else that the picture depicts
that is rather interesting.
Senator Chafee. Are there further questions or statements?
[No response.]
Senator Chafee. General, when you visited with me yesterday
we discussed innovative financing. There is some innovative
financing in ISTEA II, but that's not the end of it. There are
possibly other ways. This falls under the innovative part that
we are all urging upon you, not only in the design and the
tolls and the rapid movement through the toll plazas, as you
previously pointed out, but there is a whole series of other
things that might be done, and included in that is the
financing. So we would urge you to keep your eyes open and be
alert for ways we can improve that, and leverage money and get
on with the job.
So we thank you very much for coming up.
This committee will be meeting tomorrow at 9:30 for a
business meeting, in the course of which we will consider this
nomination and some other things, so I would urge a good
attendance.
That having been said, the meeting will be adjourned.
General Wykle. Thank you very much, sir.
[Whereupon, at 9:42 a.m., the committee recessed, to
reconvene at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 29, 1997.]
Prepared Statement of Kenneth R. Wykle, Administrator Designate
Good morning, Chairman Chafee, Senator Baucus, Subcommittee
Chairman Warner, and distinguished Members of the Committee. It is a
pleasure to appear before you today, as you consider my nomination to
be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration at the U.S.
Department of Transportation. I especially appreciate the efforts of
the Committee to expedite my nomination during one of this Committee's
busiest legislative periods. I am accompanied today by my best friend
and partner of 30 plus years and would like at this time to introduce
my wife--Mary Wykle, Ph.D.
I am honored to have been recommended by Secretary of
Transportation Rodney Slater and nominated for this position by
President Clinton. Both the President and Secretary Slater recognize
the crucial role of highways in our transportation system and their
impact on our Nation's economy, national security, and quality of life.
If confirmed, it would be a privilege to work with them and this
Committee to ensure that we build a strong national intermodal
transportation system for the 21st century.
As the former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Transportation
Command, or TRANSCOM, I know first hand how much we rely on our
Nation's highways and the entire transportation system to move people
and goods in this country. Highways are the backbone of our current
intermodal transportation system. At TRANSCOM, we were responsible for
providing and arranging transport services worldwide during peace and
war. In cooperation with our commercial transportation industry
partners we moved thousands of personnel and millions of tons of cargo
in support of humanitarian operations and during times of national
crisis. We experienced first-hand the need both in peace and in time of
international turmoil for safe, reliable, efficient transportation.
These events demonstrated the requirement for a connected/seamless
national and international intermodal transportation system. I would
bring this recent experience, plus more than 16 years of experience
living in Europe and Asia and working with or using their commercial
Transportation Systems, to the position of Federal Highway
Administrator.
I would ask that for a moment you think of our Nation's
transportation system like the human circulatory system. An efficiently
functioning intermodal transportation system is essential to our
Nation's economic welfare and survival just as a fully functioning
circulatory system is essential to our body. The Nation's intermodal
transportation system must enable people and goods to move efficiently
throughout the country and the world--or the economy and our quality of
life will lose vitality and productivity, just as the human body will
fail when its circulatory system becomes clogged. As we properly
maintain and strengthen the body we must do the same for this Nation's
transportation infrastructure. I personally find the search for
solutions to our nation's transportation challenges rewarding. If
confirmed I look forward to forming a strong alliance with this
Committee, dedicated industry, government, and academic partners and
representatives from environmental and other affected transportation
interests to create a truly national intermodal transportation system
that is interoperable with global transportation systems.
A few weeks ago, Secretary Slater transmitted to you the Department
of Transportation's Strategic Plan for 1997-2002. The five Strategic
Goals laid out in the Plan provide the right foundation for improving
the performance of the Nation's transportation system, and if
confirmed, I would be guided by those goals as the Federal Highway
Administrator. I agree with the Secretary that the Department's
strategic plan provides the direction for achieving transportation
excellence in the 21st Century. The goals are basic, but reflect and
balance the complexities of the Nation's transportation system.
<bullet> Safety--Collision Avoidance systems, highway and bridge
maintenance, intelligent cruise control, and efforts to improve safety
across the board.
<bullet> Mobility--Interstate maintenance, connectors, bridges,
travel and weather information.
<bullet> Productivity--Economic growth and trade, intermodalism,
technology, standards, freeway management and information systems.
<bullet> Human and Natural Environment--Alternative fuels,
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, protection
of wetlands and natural habitat
<bullet> National Security--National Highway System, connectors to
intermodal facilities, bridges, access to military installations.
I believe these goals are fully reflected in the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) reauthorization legislation
advanced by this Committee and the Administration. Indeed, the bill
reported out by this Committee, ISTEA II, and the Administration's
proposal have much in common. I am aware of the difficult issues yet to
be resolved, and I pledge to work with you in any way possible to
obtain a multi-year reauthorization bill based on the principles of
ISTEA.
The National Highway System, which was designated in legislation
passed 2 years ago, will serve as the keystone of a transportation
system that will serve this Nation well into the 21st Century. The
total system will continue to foster productivity and mobility and it
must be enhanced as we leverage technology, information systems and our
great human resources. We cannot continue to build highways as we have
for the last forty years--we must turn our focus to an efficient
national intermodal system that is interoperable with global
transportation systems, using technology and information to
significantly increase the capacity and productivity of our current
infrastructure.
In closing, I am honored to appear before you today and, if
confirmed, I pledge to work with you and all of our partners to achieve
transportation excellence in the 21st century. I thank this Committee
for the courtesy and consideration extended to me. I look forward to
your questions.
Thank you.
______
Responses to Questions from Senator Lautenberg
Question 1a. Intelligent Transportation Systems. I am a long time
supporter of researching, developing and implementing Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) throughout the country. These technologies
provide cost-effective solutions toward achieving national
transportation goals of mobility, efficiency, productivity, safety and
environmental protection. A recent study found that ITS infrastructure
will generate an overall benefit-cost ratio of 5.7 to 1 for nearly 300
metropolitan areas, and an even stronger return for the top 75 most
congested cities. While the benefits of ITS are well documented, I have
found that people support ITS technologies only after they personally
witness the technologies in action.
What is your position on ITS? Is the Federal program important, or
is it just a corporate subsidy?
Answer. I strongly support ITS. The Federal program in close
cooperation with State and local governments and the private sector, is
important. It offers the greatest potential to improve the productivity
of our Nation's highways.
ITS can also provide the infrastructure necessary to enable the
intermodal management of the transportation systems we have today. We
might draw a useful analogy to the global economy. We can desire global
commerce but without the telecommunication system and the global
aviation system that we have in place today it would be difficult to
achieve on any meaningful scale. Likewise with intermodal management.
ITS provides the enabling infrastructure to make real-time, intermodal
management of our systems possible. From the perspective of an FHWA
Administrator, I believe that ITS offers the opportunity of reducing
the cost of providing highway capacity.
The in-vehicle ITS technologies offer the opportunity of
streamlining numerous government operations, and increasing the
efficiency of transit truck, and emergency management fleet operations.
Most important, however, several of them offer the potential of
shifting the paradigm on safety from one of crash protection to crash
prevention--saving not only lives but the millions of dollars spent
every year in medical costs, property damage and productivity loss due
to disability. These technologies will be especially critical to
enhancing the driving performance of older Americans, and disabled
drivers and thereby extend their mobility.
I believe the program is critically important to building the
transportation services of the 21st century that will keep us
competitive. Systems management, mobility and safety are the business
of government--not corporate welfare.
Question 1b. Will you follow in the footsteps of your predecessors
in making the Federal ITS program a priority?
Answer. I will make the Federal ITS program a top priority. My
opening statement reflected that view, and my response to Senator
Baucus at my confirmation hearing reflected my strong views on the
value of ITS.
Question 1c. What are your views on the role of the Federal
Government in encouraging research development and integration of ITS
technologies?
Answer. The Federal Government, in my opinion, should focus on the
requirements to improve the safety, mobility, and productivity of our
highways. The Government should then identify potential solutions to
these requirements. Existing technology should be used to the maximum
extent possible to solve transportation requirements, i.e., leverage
existing technology. FHWA research and development should focus first
on applying current technology.
Integration of ITS technologies is of particular concern to me. We
have about a 5-year window, as ITS technologies are being deployed, to
insure that the end result is an integrated, interoperable national
system--much like our Interstate. If we do not intervene, and intervene
quickly the likely result will be the equivalent of an Interstate with
mismatched connections, and different signing standards, geometry, and
widths--in essence a patchwork. We will have lost for 10 to 15 years
the real intermodal promise that ITS offers.
Question 2a. Truck Size and Weight. The Department has been engaged
in a comprehensive truck size and weight study for over the: past year.
I understand that some chapters are complete, but the final study is
not complete When do you anticipate that the report will be transmitted
to Congress?
Answer. I understand that the Department released a draft volume
outlining issues and background for the comprehensive truck size and
weight study in June 1997. They anticipated that the final
Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight (CTS&W) study will be submitted to
Congress in November 1998. I would push to reach those deadlines.
Question 2b. Would you support increases in truck size and weight
nationwide? Would you support a freeze on truck size and weight
nationwide?
Answer. I concur with the Secretary of Transportation's assessment
that any legislative changes should be deferred until the completion of
the Department's CTS&W study.
Question 2c. Would you support special exemptions for increased
truck sizes and/or weight advocated by certain states?
Answer. As I stated previously, I would not favor any legislative
changes in truck size and weight laws until the completion of the
Department's CTS&W study.
Question 2d. As you know, the Senate Commerce Committee recently
transmitted its ISTEA title. The title provides troublesome exemptions
for hazardous materials and hours of service rules. What is your
position on these two provisions?
Answer. I would have concerns about any blanket legislative
exemptions from the motor carrier safety regulations. Legislative
exemptions, like those proposed in the Intermodal Transportation Safety
Act (ITSA) of 1997, would provide specific industries relief from
important safety controls without an evaluation of the possible safety
consequences. Further, blanket exemptions undermine industry
willingness to comply with the motor carrier safety regulations and
create loopholes that can be exploited to avoid their application.
Question 2e. Will you consider reviewing the existing cost
allocation structure to accommodate the increased wear and tear caused
by heavier trucks?
Answer. I will review the cost allocation structure and FHWA's
recently released report on the subject.
Question 3a. Speed Limits. A recent study by the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety found that in 12 states that raised their
highway speed limits in 1996, the number of deaths from automobile
accidents increased by a total of 500 in the last 9 months of the year,
compared with a similar period in 1995. It found that when speed limits
in the 12 states were raised on the Interstate system, the death rate
increased by an average of about 12 percent. These are very troubling
statistics. As Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, you
have a special role in ensuring the safety of our highways.
If statistics continue to show that increased speed on our highways
leads to increased deaths, what actions will you take to ensure that
the killing stops?
Answer. I believe that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
should continue to use the lessons learned on the Interstates regarding
design and operations and provide this information to States and local
governments.
I understand the FHWA and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) are just completing work on a report to the
Congress on the impacts of the States' actions to raise speed limits
above the 55/65 MPH. I am told that, based on a historical trends
analysis, the report shows results for the Interstates that are similar
to the results of the Insurance Institute's study FHWA and NHTSA are
concerned about the trend analysis results. I also understand that only
a year of data and, in some cases less than a year's amount of data,
with the increased speed limits were available for the analysis.
I believe that FHWA and NHTSA should continue to study the impact
of increased speed limits at the national and State levels. In the
event statistics continue to show increased fatalities with the higher
speed limits, FHWA and NHTSA should work very closely with States to
evaluate both the higher limits and the types of roadways where the
limits were increased.
Many States are also analyzing their data to determine the effects
of the increased speed limits. Local governments are also developing
the capabilities to analyze speed data. Both FHWA and NHTSA should
continue to work with the States and local governments on this
important safety issue and focus on other key program areas of traffic
safety, e.g. increasing restraint use, enforcing traffic laws,
informing and educating the public, and implementing roadway and
traffic safety improvements.
Question 4. Do you support my .08 Bill--the Safe and Sober Streets
Act of 1997--and why?
Answer. I support the bill and the .08 BAC as the per se standard
for driving while intoxicated for individuals aged 21 and above because
this has the potential to save the lives of many citizens each year. I
understand that virtually all drivers are substantially impaired at .08
with regard to critical driving tasks--braking, steering, lane changing
and judgment.
Many industrialized nations have BACs at .08: Canada, Great
Britain, Austria and Switzerland. France and The Netherlands have a .05
BAC.
Recent studies of five states that lowered their BAC to .08
indicate a significant decrease in alcohol-related fatalities.
______
Responses to Questions from Senator Chafee
Question 1. The role of the Federal Highway Administration has
changed over the last 10 years from an agency with responsibility over
highways only to an agency that oversees a national transportation
network, How do you see the role of the Federal Highway Administration
continuing to evolve over the next 10 years?
Answer. I see the FHWA role moving to a focus on a national
intermodal transportation system that is among the safest in the world.
FHWA must provide the vision and leadership to develop and implement an
efficient, effective, environmentally sensitive, technology-enhanced,
information-dominant, intermodal transportation system that is
interoperable with global transportation networks.
Question 2. One of the worst problems with our transportation
system is traffic congestion. In major metropolitan areas of the United
States, traffic delays amount to an estimated 43 billion dollars
annually in lost productivity. Washington, DC., has the second longest
average commute to work in the Nation.
If you are confirmed as FHWA Administrator, what program or
initiatives will you emphasize to help reduce the devastating impact of
congestion on the nation's roads and bridges?
Answer. I would emphasize increasing the capacity of current
infrastructure by leveraging technology and information--automated
message signs; advance traveler information; global positioning systems
(GPS) for tracking and locating safety and police vehicles for rapid
response; better crash avoidance measures; better accident management
to clear highways more quickly; traffic operation centers with command
and control capabilities; and providing adequate levels of ending and
flexibility in the use of funds for new capacity, including HOV lanes
and transit.
Question 3. One of the major changes made by ISTEA is the
transferability between highway and transit programs. In the ISTEA II
bill reported by the Committee, we take this transferability a step
further by allowing highway funds to be used for Amtrak and high-speed
passenger rail. What is your view of the ability to transfer funds from
highway programs for other modes of transportation such as passenger
rail and transit, and if confirmed, what kind of message do you think
the Federal highway Administration should send to States and localities
on this issue?
Answer. I support the concept of transferability. Both ISTEA II and
the Administration bill provide such assistance to AMTRAK and rail
passenger programs. The increased flexibility should help contribute
directly to the improvement of highway travel by reducing congestion,
improving air quality, and enhancing the quality of life for our
citizens.
______
Responses to Questions from Senator Boxer
Question 1. General, with your extensive military background, I
assume that you have some experience in the application of advanced
technologies in defense. As you may know, I have worked throughout this
legislative session to promote the use of innovative defense
technologies to meet America's civilian needs. With enactment of the
fiscal year 1998 Transportation Appropriations Bill, the Department of
Transportation has the resources and mandate to deploy these
technologies for this purpose.
The development of advanced composite materials is one of the
leading technological advances arising from the U.S. defense sector in
recent years. Originally designed as an integral element of defense
stealth technologies, these materials provide highway bridges, columns
and overpasses with remarkable strength and durability. Of special
importance to the State of California, applying these technologies to
highway bridges greatly enhances the seismic integrity of
transportation infrastructure. They also enable construction of lighter
and more durable bridges and bridge components, improve the safety and
efficiency of construction, and lower live cycle costs.
Are you familiar with the use of advanced composites for bridge
construction, and do you see a strong role for applying advanced
composite material technology to our nation's transportation?
Specifically, the conference report to the fiscal year 1998
transportation appropriations bill encourages the FHWA to work with an
academic and industry-led national consortium to demonstrate the
applications of an all-composite bridge for civil engineering purposes.
Would you support that work?
Answer. I am not personally familiar with the use of advance
composites for bridge construction. I do support leveraging technology
developed for other uses in transportation applications. I will work
with the appropriate academic, industry and State DOT partners to
explore the benefits of using advance composites in bridge
construction. I also believe we should continue to advance state-of-
the-art materials (including composites and high performance steels and
concrete) to ensure the continual reduction in the life cycle costs of
highways.
Question 2. You have extensive background in the intermodal aspects
of moving defense personnel and supplies. What do you see as the major
obstacle to improving the access of our seaports and airports to our
national transportation system? In addition, what role do you see
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) playing in improving goods
movement?
Answer. I see several obstacles to improving access to seaports and
airports:
<bullet> The problems of environmentally appropriate and safe
access through urban areas.
<bullet> Inadequate connectors from our NHS to the ocean terminals
and airports for both highway and rail.
<bullet> Problems of grade-level rail crossings at many ocean
terminals, which disrupts traffic and contributes to congestion, and
creates safety concerns.
<bullet> Lack of efficient material handling equipment to expedite
intermodal transfers.
ITS has great potential for expediting truck and rail movements to
seaports and airports. ITS integrated with information systems can
increase port through-put by providing better on-terminal location
information, better port planning information, and faster, more
accurate loading of trains, trucks, or ships. ITS has the potential to
provide significant productivity enhancements across the entire
transportation spectrum.
Both Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and direct short range
communications (DSRC) devices can track the movement and contents of
containers, chassis and other equipment. Using DSRC or advanced imaging
systems for gate access can help reduce back-up queues at port
entrances. Some of the same technologies that were demonstrated with
the automated highway system in San Diego can be of immediate use in
automating some of the container movements on ports--relieving both
congestion and time-in-port.
We need to match the right information to the right movement, at
the right time; this is the key to reducing congestion and time invoked
in a variety of goods movements. Much of the customs and bill of lading
information about contents can be read and processed well in advance of
the actual docking or border crossing with the use of information
networks, high speed communications, DSRC, and importantly, common
communications protocols. This could substantially reduce queues at
borders, and backlogs in our marine ports arid airports.
Congestion is an equally important capacity constraint on the land
side of airports. There, ITS can provide real-time management to
relieve congestion as well as control of ground access vehicles and
consumer information on parking availability, and flight arrival and
departure.
Question 3. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has
re-authorized the Automated Highway System (AHS) in ISTEA II. Do you
see the AHS as providing a future role in providing congestion relief
in our urban areas? And do you see value in obtaining so-called spin-
off technologies from research and development of the AHS?
Answer. AHS has the potential of providing congestion relief long
term, but realistically will not have much of an impact near term. The
greatest benefits from AHS are spin off technologies, e.g. crash
avoidance systems, intelligent cruise control. AHS work should continue
with the primary short term focus being spin off technologies.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.019
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.020
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.021
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.022
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.023
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.024
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH269.025
<all>