Missouri is one of the top five states in the nation in using performance measures — such as safety, on-time and on-budget construction projects and improved traffic flow — to show taxpayers how their transportation dollars are being spent.
A report released by the Pew Center on the States and The Rockefeller Foundation said the five states earned the top distinction by having “goals, performance measures and data that put their citizens and decision-makers in a better position to make cost-effective policy and spending choices.”
For years, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has used performance data to track highway system performance and condition, gauge customer satisfaction and provide transparent documentation of how tax dollars are spent. The department’s performance measures and results are printed quarterly in a publication called the Tracker. It can be found online at www.modot.org.
“Performance management is all about results and showing Missourians that their taxes are being used in the most practical way to provide real benefits,” said MoDOT’s Director Kevin Keith. “It has helped us in developing our plan to become a smaller agency due to the severe drop in funding for transportation we’re experiencing, and it’s what will enable us to make wise decisions with the limited resources we have as we move forward.”
A special section in the Pew report spotlighting exemplary practices points to MoDOT’s efforts and shows that the agency has advanced tools in the area of jobs and commerce to develop state and regional estimates of employment, income and the economic return on transportation investments.
The other states rated in the top five are Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Virginia. The report notes that just 13 states have goals, performance measures and data needed to help decision makers ensure their surface transportation systems are advancing economic growth, mobility, access and other key policy outcomes.
