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Significant efforts in identification and management of transportation assets ranging from the infrastructure to the effect of transportation on society are under way to improve quality service delivery. The challenge for Highway Transportation Asset Management (HTAM) is to identify which areas of transportation the public would like to receive prompt investment and attention. This article studies a recently improved two-lane highway corridor in rural Illinois to determine how well highway transportation asset management (HTAM) are meeting stakeholder needs. Only by knowing what the customers consider an asset and what influences the performance measure of that asset can HTAM actually be customer focused. Customer focus (CF) has historically not been the goal, particularly for highways that already exist. The results of this preparatory study provide recommendations to help transportation agencies develop programs and service delivery to improve the effectiveness in meeting the needs and goals of customers.

This article focuses on the uncharted waters of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program administration by its most principal stewards, the DBE program administrators, for each state department of transportation (DOT). Toward this end, a research subcommittee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)1 conducted a national survey of DOT DBE program administrators. The web-based survey was conducted in the fall of 2008 and repeated in the fall of 2009 by The Center for Survey Research at the Pennsylvania State University, Capital College. The survey was expressly designed to gauge the foremost issues and concerns of the DBE program nationally and to stimulate directed research into the daily problems faced by DBEs in general and by DOT DBE program administrators in particular. This article attempts to forge a new understanding of the DBE program by focusing on defining the problems in DBE program administration to enhance efforts to improve the DBE program nationwide.

She has taught courses in infrastructure management, planning, transportation and construction management. Dr. Orndoff has more than ten years of engineering field experience. Her application-based engineering research incorporates sustainability, policy, legal issues, economics, decision-making, planning as well as public administration, policy, finance, and their stakeholders. She is active in engineering leadership and management practice issues. She has also served on several professional committees, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the NSF Transportation Research Board, American Society of Engineering Educators and economic development initiatives.