"TRB Conference Proceedings 43: Key Issues in Transportation Programming summarizes plenary and breakout sessions of a November 2006 conference that explored the current state of the practice and long-term implementation experience associated with the programming process, successful practices in linking planning and programming, and the linking of programming processes to the development of performance measures and asset management systems. The conference also examined programming and politics, data requirements and data manageability, and effective approaches to public involvement for programming."--Pub. desc.

This report summarizes the key issues facing state planners, identifies impacts resulting from alternative solutions to the issues, describes available techniques to measure impacts, and reports data availability to apply the selected techniques. A list of approximately 75 specific issues were sorted in 11 major areas within which states must make key transportation decisions.

The second Conference on Statewide Transportation Planning and Programming, conducted by the Transportation Research Board at the request of the U.S. Department of Transportation and its modal administrations, sought to do the following: 1. Identify the challenges that will be faced by the states, now and in the next 20 years, particularly in the areas of the economy, energy, urban policy, and changes in transportation systems; 2. Report on the best available planning techniques and on research for new ones; 3. Recommend the optimum role for state departments of transportation in multimodal statewide transportation planning; 4. Identify techniques for optimum programming of scarce state resources, for example, between modes and categorical programs; 5. Discuss the proper content of a state transportation plan; and 6. Discuss ways of increasing the effectiveness of state departments of transportation in implementing state transportation plans.

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.

This synthesis will be of interest to transportation department administrators, financial managers, program area managers, and others who are concerned with the financing, budgeting, and funding aspects of managing the transportation infrastructure. It will also be of interest to others outside of the state department of transportation (DOT), including state legislators, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), local government officials, and environmental agencies who interact with the DOTs in programming and project development. The synthesis presents information on changes in the capital programming process instituted by DOTs in response to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and to other factors that affect both policy and practice in developing and managing their capital program. This report of the Transportation Research Board describes key influences on programming, including federal, state, and local regulations, and the changes that have resulted. It also discusses programming and project selection methods used by the states, such as the criteria for setting priorities, use of management systems, tradeoff analyses, and public involvement. The key aspects of revenue forecasting and cash management as they relate to programming issues are also highlighted.