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About Us
The Federal ITS Program Mission
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) ITS program focuses on intelligent vehicles, intelligent infrastructure and the creation of an intelligent transportation system through integration with and between these two components. The Federal ITS program supports the overall advancement of ITS through investments in major initiatives, exploratory studies and a deployment support program. Increasingly, the Federal investments are directed at targets of opportunity – major initiatives – that have the potential for significant payoff in improving safety, mobility and productivity.
Federal ITS Program Initiatives
In 2004 the ITS Management Council reorganized the functions of the ITS program to focus on nine particular high pay-off areas. Milestones have been designated in each initiative area, at which point the Management Council evaluates progress. Each major initiative is multimodal, public-private sector involved and aims to improve safety, mobility and/or productivity.
The nine major initiatives are:
Ongoing major activities within the Federal ITS program are:
Organization of the Federal ITS Program
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A corporate-style "board of directors" – the ITS Management Council – develops and directs Federal ITS policy and ensures the effectiveness of the ITS program. Members include the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and Intermodalism, USDOT's Chief Information Officer and the Administrators of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD). In May 2006, the RITA Administrator became chair of the ITS Management Council, giving the RITA Administrator responsibility for the strategic direction and management oversight of USDOT’s ITS program. In November 2006, this leadership and policy-making authority were further delineated in a signed memorandum of understanding between FHWA and RITA.
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Advising the ITS Management Council is the ITS Strategic Planning Group. Membership is generally at the Associate Administrator and office director level, and is chaired by the ITS program manager.
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The ITS program manager leads the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO), which is comprised of program managers and coordinators of the USDOT's multimodal ITS initiatives. In addition, individual staff members manage deployment support functions, such as Web site development and maintenance, outreach, program evaluation, training and the architecture and standards programs.
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The ITS Joint Program Office is administratively located in FHWA and, under the policy direction of RITA, has Department-wide authority in coordinating the ITS program and initiatives among FHWA, FMCSA, NHTSA, FRA, FTA and MARAD.
A Brief History of the Federal ITS Program
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) established a Federal program to research, develop, and operationally test Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and to promote their implementation. The program was designed to facilitate deployment of technology to enhance the efficiency, safety, and convenience of surface transportation, resulting in improved access, saved lives and time, and increased productivity.
The program began as a three pronged effort that fostered the development of ITS through (1) basic research and development, (2) operational tests that served as the bridge between basic research and full deployment, and (3) various deployment support activities that facilitated the implementation of integrated ITS technologies.
ISTEA originally authorized $659 million for fiscal years 1992-1997 with additional funds appropriated for a total of approximately $1.2 billion. The Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) authorized a similar amount ($1.3 billion) through fiscal year 2003. In 2005, the Congress enacted the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which ended the ITS Deployment Program at the close of fiscal year 2005, but continued ITS research at $110 million annually through fiscal year 2009. In addition to authorized ITS funding, ITS projects are eligible for regular Federal-aid highway funding.
The ITS program carries out its goals through research and development, operational testing, technology transfer, training and technical guidance in the areas of intelligent vehicles, advanced traffic and transit management, commercial vehicle operations, public safety, traveler information, and intermodal freight.
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