The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Board of Directors approved forming a new Transportation Performance Management (TPM) technical service program during its 2021 virtual spring meeting.

The new technical service program will provide an “umbrella program” of products and services to help state departments of transportation implement robust TPM programs within their agencies.

The TPM program proposal grew out of the successful TPM pooled fund program initially led by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation with support from the Federal Highway Administration.

To read the full article published by the AASHTO Journal, click here.

Toks Omishakin (left), director of the California Department of Transportation – and William Panos (right), director of the North Dakota Department of Transportation, highlighted the ways state departments of transportation are incorporating equity into their infrastructure programs during a May 11 hearing on Capitol Hill.

Both virtually joined the hearing – held by the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works – to share their perspectives on how to improve transportation equity for disadvantaged communities, “no matter their race, socioeconomic status, identity, where they live, or how they travel,” noted Omishakin.

“Overall, minority and under-served communities experience fewer benefits and take on a greater share of negative impacts associated with our transportation systems,” he explained in his written testimony.

North Dakota DOT’s Panos added rural communities to that “underserved” list in his written testimony – and stressed that traditional formula funding would provide the means to address their needs.

To read the full article published by the AASHTO Journal, click here.