Providing A FAST TRAC:
Advancing Projects of State and
Regional Economic Significance

With our country in deep recession and facing increasing challenges to become more competitive in this global economy, the department must do everything it can to deliver important transportation projects more timely and effectively. After two years of hard work, ODOT is on much better financial footing so that we can look ahead and advance new projects to generate economic growth. Through the hard work of ratcheting down expenditures – combined with lower-than-expected inflation and the additional funding made possible by the Recovery Act – the department’s estimated shortfall is now 57 percent less than the $3.5 billion projected in the previous Business Plan. At the same time, the TRAC has adopted new reforms to assure better project management.
With this new Business Plan, the TRAC will pursue new “FAST TRAC” procedures to advance Major New projects that are economic drivers, have statewide or regional significance, and have committed public and private sector partners.

FAST TRAC will fill an important niche in our investment strategy. First, the TRAC typically considers projects on a four year planning horizon and it needs a pathway to consider important projects on an “as needed” basis. Second, with the TRAC encouraging applications from all modes of transportation – with an emphasis on job creation and public-private partnerships – the department anticipates applications from new partners and projects in different stages of development. Third, this process will capitalize on lessons learned during our Recovery Act project development process (project identification and delivery schedules, for example) as we partner with local governments on important transportation 

Understanding that FAST TRAC projects may require TRAC investment, ODOT will designate $100 million over the biennium and a total of $400 million in the financial plan to support FAST TRAC. This will provide an important new funding stream to promote job creation and keep our estimated shortfall at $1.5 billion – still $2 billion below the shortfall projected in the previous business plan. The TRAC and the department will develop criteria for the use of the funds to help assure that the TRAC acknowledges the project is one of state or regional economic significance; the project sponsors will bring public and private funds to leverage TRAC funds; and the project will advance promptly to construction with TRAC funding.

This action also will help address a general concern expressed in national critiques and in our Task Force report and TRAC proceedings: that the procedures of U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state transportation departments (DOTs) across the country are too burdensome, take too long, and cannot respond swiftly to important, timely transportation needs. At times, this criticism is unfair because the procedures followed by FWHA and state DOTs are in place to assure adequate public notice, input and evaluation, and sound engineering and funding. However, some of the criticism is fair. There is the ability for state DOTs to become stronger partners with local government and the private sector to advance important projects in ways that are safe and thorough. Perhaps the best demonstration of this ability has been ODOT’s performance, in partnership with FHWA and local governments, in the administration of the Recovery Act program.