NEW ERA IN SURFACE TRANSPORTATION: INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS UNDER TEA-21

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) continues and expands the transition from a focus on building highways to a new emphasis on improving the efficiency with which the surface transportation system is operated and managed. It does this by authorizing efforts aimed at creating a seamless transportation network that will support the movement of people and goods across all modes of transportation. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) will help meet this challenge by providing the information and communications infrastructure necessary to operate and manage the transportation network as a single system, thus enhancing the network's efficiency, productivity, and safety. Just as the approach to surface transportation in the United States has evolved, so too has the ITS program. TEA-21 continues the program along a path that is leading from a research and development focus, through operational testing, to deployment as an integral part of the delivery of transportation services. This article first reflects on how the ITS program has grown and evolved since its inception, then addresses the impact of TEA-21 on the program.