Evaluating the Effectiveness of State Department of Transportation Investment Decisions: Linking Performance Measures to Resource Allocation

In recent years, many state departments of transportation (DOTs) have developed performance measures to monitor their transportation systems and improve transportation planning. One of the main outstanding questions with regard to using performance measures is how to best characterize the connection between resources and outcomes, particularly at a system (state) level. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of state DOT investment decisions on two performance areas: Safety and congestion. We collected expenditure and performance data from 1984–2000 and developed state-specific linear regression models for each performance area. The statistical significance and direction of influence of each expenditure category varied between models, so we used 29 transportation-system characteristics to interpret model results. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of the link between resources and outcome and will help state DOTs utilize their new funding opportunities, improve their planning procedures and address government accountability concerns.