And Governor Kaine is going to correct this how?

From a discussion on miscellaneous transportation roads. Related to GPRA and MOE. (Sorry, Curly is on vacation.)

Larry Gross wrote:
> Dick Boyd wrote:
> > John Lansford wrote:
> > > "Larry Gross" wrote:
> > Companies have measures of effectiveness (MOE) to judge the goodness of
> > their decisions. When asking for capital improvement, documentation
> > predicts the expected return on investment(ROI). If the ROI isn't high
> > enough the project does not get funded. If the project does get funded,
> > there will be reviews to determine how well the project is performing.
> > Those reviews are used to improve the forecasting tools.
> >
> this is pretty much what the State Auditor of Virginia said about
> VDOT's
> measures of effectiveness processes.
>
> Specifically that they had no process to objectively evaluate, rank
> and prioritize projects much less actually follow through with a
> fundable capital facilities list.
>
> I've come to the conclusion - perhaps wrongly - that state DOTs have
> a long tradition of road building derived primarily from an engineering
> culture.
>
> If you asked even higher level engineers to objectively compare two
> projects to determine which one is more cost effective, I strongly
> suspect the first answer would be something along the lines of
> "why would you want to do that - BOTH projects are needed. The problem
> is we don't have enough money".
>
> In other words, the question flies right over their heads.
>
> I'm not dissing the DOTs or their hard-working engineering folks who,
> on a per-project basis get the best bang for the buck that they can but
> what I'm suggesting is that I don't really see (at least in VDOT) a
> department that makes decisions based on comparatively evaluating
> projects using measures of effectiveness to make capital funding
> decisions. Their preference has always been to have many more
> projects on their "build" list that they actually had money for.
>
> I'm sure part of it has been and always will be plain old politics
> which is also part of our road culture where whoever has the
> most "juice" can get their favorite project "on the list".
>
> I'm also quite sure that your average well-run company goes through
> these drills all the time so that they don't overextend themselves
> financially but also know that WHERE they put their limited funds
> plays a huge role in the downstream destiny of the company if they
> are to remain competitive and remain viable.
>
> .. and part of this is just the way that government works... there
> simply
> is not the same competitive environment and as long as any agency
> receives funding.. they'll turn their "crank" to produce whatever
> they're
> supposed to produce. The question about whether what they produce
> is effective from a macro view.. is the stuff of blue ribbon committees
> which most DOT folks go off and do their thing and stay out of their
> hair.

The echelon that seems to be missing in Virginia is the Commonwealth Transportation Board. VDOTs job, as I see it is to make up a shopping list that includes costs and schedule. That list is provided to CTB and CTB sets the priorities based on information the CTB gets from their regional planning authorities (or whatever name they go by these days.) CTB gives the list to the politicians and the politicians make the decision on how much money to spend.

Instead, what I see in Virginia, is what Larry points out. By default, either VDOT or the politicians are making the decisions on what will be built. The politician's job, as I see it is provide the funding and establish the legislation to authorize the organization to do the business of estimating road cost (VDOT) and need for the road (planning commissions) and CTB to select the projects.

Instead the planning commissions are also selecting transportation projects by insisting on transit. The politicians are NOT getting the money, instead they are trying to do VDOTs job of selecting projects. Bottom line, the transportation gets worse.

And Governor Kaine is going to correct this how?

dickboyd@aol.com