TEA-21 EMPHASIZES OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT

For many, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) is notable for retaining the basic metropolitan and statewide planning structure that arose from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, including the requirement for congestion management systems in larger metropolitan areas. More importantly, it expands the general objectives of the transportation planning process to include the efficient management and operation of the existing multimodal transportation system. Operations and management are also specifically addressed as one of the primary metropolitan and statewide planning factors, and in the context of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) deployment. The TEA-21 provisions reflect a shifting emphasis that recognizes the importance of considering how the system is managed and operated in an era of dwindling resources. They have the goals of relieving congestion, more efficiently serving the mobility needs of people and goods, and enhancing access.