TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS

Transportation solutions will be difficult to achieve until the legislature reviews the core functions of the agency and abolishes/revises the current legislative transportation committees. The House and Senate Transportation Committees and the Legislative Transportation Committee are accountable to no one. Unlike other standing committees, these entities do not report to the Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader. Each funds itself from the gas tax.

We suggest legislators, in this session, consider the following:

1. Review the laws (RCWs) imposed on the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT may be doing a good job of complying with legislative intent; however, the legislative direction may be causing highly inefficient practices (i.e., the bureaucratic, inefficient and ineffective highway planning process).

2. Review the core mission of DOT. For example: Why does the Department construct and operate kiosks, rest areas, 1-800 numbers, etc.? Except for emergency purposes, 1-900 lines could be used. Rest areas could be privatized or franchised (see EFF Policy Highlighter 10-10) similar to Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, etc. Why does DOT advertise itself on the radio? The ads do not fit into the agency’s core mission, nor do they provide better transportation for the citizens. Is it within DOT’s mission to own 29 grain-type railroad cars?

   A review of DOT’s core mission will permit a critical examination of the size of the DOT workforce. In Michigan a thorough review of its transportation agency resulted in staff reductions from 4,206 to 3,600.

   Many of DOT’s problems stem from the fact that the Department was created in 1977 in an era of mega projects such as interstates and massive bridges. The DOT remains structured for mega projects, though few exist anymore. DOT’s primary mission now seems to be maintenance and preservation, and they do it very expensively. Why not devolve much of the road maintenance to the counties and give locals the funding?

   The agency has reserved many right-of-way properties for projects that may never be built. The legislature should review all of these properties that have been off the tax rolls for five or more years.

3. Review the jurisdiction overlap between DOT, counties, the Transportation Improvement Board, CRAB (County Road Administration Board), etc. There is an urgent need for a coordinated, prioritization method for local projects.

4. Major reform is needed in the "process" for designing and building roads. Even the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation has verified this problem and has identified solutions, though it has not sent them to the legislature (see EFF Policy Highlighter 10-11). DOT has stated that it takes 10 years to design and build a road. Why? Have reams of regulation tied the agency’s hands, or is the internal process to bulky to allow for efficiency? We suggest the legislature look at the success of the Dupont interchange or the rebuilding of the Spirit Lake Highway for examples of efficiency in action.

5. A review of the cost/benefit of prevailing wage laws should be conducted. EFF will have a detailed report on the prevailing wage laws later this year.

6. A review of DOT assets should be conducted and unnecessary or obsolete assets should be sold.

7. Review road maintenance bidding procedures. Massachusetts reduced its maintenance costs by 32 percent in two years by using competitive bidding on 40 percent of their state roadways. As an additional benefit, service and appearances dramatically improved.

Prepared by Bob Williams, Senior Research Analyst, (360) 956-3482 or effwa@effwa.org

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org