Ready to Report?

By Jay Stinson, Intergraph Corporation

When President Eisenhower championed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, it resulted in a network of nearly 47,000 miles of limited-access interstate highways. When you figure in the thousands of miles of city and county roads, our nation’s transportation network is a complex operation vital to most every facet of our daily lives.

However, highways and bridges wear out. Today, there are multiple examples of roadway infrastructure problems across the country. Thousands of miles of aging and deficient roads and bridges need major overhauls and the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, created by Congress, last year recommended spending between $225 billion and $340 billion annually on the nation's transportation system.

Consequently, President Obama and Congress have made public works central to their $787 billion economic stimulus plan. During the next 18 months, the government expects to spend nearly $30 billion to overhaul the nation’s highway infrastructure. The aim is to put Americans back to work, while also rebuilding our highway infrastructure. Approved in February 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will have an immediate effect on transportation agencies across the country. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), more than 3,000 highway and bridge projects – worth $18 billion – could begin within the next three months.

As an executive, you must determine the best way for your transportation agency to spend stimulus money. States must make spending obligations by March 2010, or the money will be redistributed to other states. Some agencies may choose to spend their funds on many small projects that are important; others may focus on one or two primary highway issues. But no matter how the money is spent, planning is a crucial step to maximize job creation and economic growth. In addition, the federal government will require agencies to be accountable for how they use stimulus funds.

Intergraph’s Roadway Information Management Solution can help transportation agencies efficiently manage volumes of roadway data, respond quickly to questions, and make better, more informed decisions. Intergraph has more than 40 years’ experience solving complex government and transportation asset data management challenges through geospatial technologies and data integration best practices, regardless of your existing geographic information system (GIS) or database technologies in use today. Our solution enables the integration of multiple systems so you can create the reports needed to prove your accountability to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These reports can bring you an immediate ROI as they are crucial to maintaining federal funding, the largest source of revenue for transportation agencies.

As transportation agencies prepare for the one-time infusion of cash through the economic stimulus package, it’s important for you to determine the best way your agency can spend that money for short- and long-term benefits. Regardless of how you plan to use the funds, accountability at the local, state and federal levels will require accurate, transparent reporting. Intergraph can help agencies make the most efficient use of stimulus funding. Intergraph’s Roadway Information Management Solution for the transportation industry ensures dissemination of accurate and timely information. The company delivers products, services, and consulting from experienced transportation professionals to help its customers understand and implement the best solutions for every aspect of data collection, management, analysis and reporting. From collecting information in the field to visualizing roadway assets and congestion on a screen, map, or via the web, Intergraph’s solutions help hundreds of state, provincial and national governments solve their asset visualization, management and reporting problems. Intergraph is dedicated to helping keep people and products moving safely and efficiently and leading the way in helping transportation agencies gain the most from ARRA.

Jay Stinson is the Vice President and General Manager of Intergraph’s utilities and communications and local government and transportation divisions, responsible for driving the application of Intergraph’s comprehensive suite of geospatial solutions to these specific markets.