Joint Participating Intermodal Surface Transportation Planning Research Work Program

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) dramatically changed the metropolitan planning process by presenting new opportunities and responsibilities to the institutions in charge of metropolitan planning. The legislation fundamentally altered intergovernmental relationships at the federal, state, and local levels by devolving unprecedented decisionmaking authority for project selection and funding allocation to state and local governments. Seemingly, one of the prime benefactors of this change was the metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the institution created to perform federally required transportation planning for metropolitan areas. Yet, a decrease in MPOs' planning responsibilities in the decade prior to the passage of ISTEA left MPOs somewhat unprepared for the new roles and responsibilities given them by the legislation. Indeed, ISTEA's new technical and political mandates created onerous burdens for MPOs, and the devolution of power blurred many of the established lines of responsibility in transportation planning. As a result, ISTEA's effect on MPOs has had implications for all actors involved in the planning process and has engendered questions concerning the institutional competence of MPOs, as well as their planning authority vis-a-vis other planning institutions. In this study, the authors investigated the genesis and evolution of MPOs. They reviewed the changes in MPOs over time, including the statutory mandates and funding changes that have affected both their planning capabilities and priority setting. Special attention was paid to the changes created by ISTEA and the institution's ability to deal with the requirements of intermodalism. The report provides recommendations to help facilitate MPOs' adjustment to the intermodal transportation planning process mandated by ISTEA and suggests areas of future research to help planning agencies prepare for the mandates of "NEXTEA."

This synthesis report will be of interest to department of transportation ( DOT) administrators, planning supervisors, managers, and staffs, as well as to planning consultants that work with them. It provides information for practitioners interested in the results of attempts to apply multimodal considerations at the statewide level and identifies key research findings. It covers post-ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991) processes and projects and both passenger and freight activities. The report examines the application of three multimodal aspects: alternatives, modal mix, and integration into three statewide planning functions, which include state planning, corridor studies, and financing, budgeting, and programming. The emphasis is on implementation. This report of the Transportation Research Board documents processes and research currently under development, using three approaches: a literature review, results of a survey of state DOTs, and five case studies. It cites the following states with exemplary practices in multimodal/intermodal transportation based on a 1998 report by the policy research project at the University of Texas on Multimodal/ Intermodal Transportation: Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

June and Dec. issues contain listings of periodicals.