Cover Letter
February 28, 2008
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Colleague:
In May of 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation Network, a plan based on multi-jurisdictional, interagency, and public/private collaboration and new technologies to improve transportation system performance. By advancing a new strategy for smarter capital investments and transportation network management, the DOT believes that we can actually reduce congestion and its negative impact on our economy.
As recommended in the U.S. DOT's strategy to reduce congestion, transportation entities are increasingly turning to integrated and innovative approaches that reflect a regional perspective, leverage available technology, and build upon collaborative relationships that transcend agency and jurisdictional boundaries. Collaboration between agencies involved in transportation operations and public safety brings tangible benefits not only to the transportation system users through improved mobility and safety, but also to the participating agencies.
This reference manual "The Collaborative Advantage" is intended to help public agencies identify the specific benefits that they can realize when working with other agencies to improve transportation system operations. Developed by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Operations, with the support of the Office of Planning, Environment, and Right-of-Way, this manual illustrates tangible benefits an agency will potentially realize by participating in a collaborative venture with other agencies. Such benefits include access to funding and other resources, improvements in agency operations and productivity, and outcomes that help agencies achieve their mobility and safety goals. Research conducted on nine collaborative efforts across the U.S. is used to highlight the benefits gained through strategies such as sharing resources and expertise, performing joint operations, using common operations procedures, and exchanging real-time information. The manual also offers a six-step process that can be used by agencies to estimate the potential benefits that their organizations can realize through collaboration.
We believe that multi-agency collaboration is a critical key element to developing 21st century solutions for 21st century transportation challenges, such as reducing traffic congestion. We look forward to working with organizations, agencies, and interest groups to advance collaborative efforts that improve regional transportation operations.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey F. Paniati
Associate Administrator for Operations
