AASHTO Journal, 2 October 2015
The Federal Highway Administration is preparing a notice to state departments of transportation that will give state engineers more design flexibility in their construction projects with less detailed guidance from the federal agency.
FHWA Administrator Greg Nadeau made that announcement to the CEOs of the state agencies, in Sept. 28 remarks to the annual board meeting in Chicago of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau addresses the AASHTO Board of Directors during the association’s 2015 annual meeting in Chicago. Nadeau said the coming FHWA notice would sharply reduce the number of design criteria items it requires states to incorporate for their projects.
That will allow state officials more leeway to prepare their projects, Nadeau said, which is something states having been seeking from federal agencies and from pending surface transportation legislation in Congress.
Nadeau also said the FHWA is now taking applications for grant assistance, from a $3 million grant pool, to help those state DOTs or local transportation agencies develop the skilled workforce needed to ensure safety of public roads and those who use them. The deadline to apply for the funds is Dec. 23.
It was Nadeau’s first address to AASHTO’s board of directors — who are the state DOT chief executives — since becoming the FHWA administrator.
He stressed the need for Congress to complete a long-term surface transportation funding bill, and emphasized that the Senate-passed DRIVE Act’s proposed funding level would not provide enough investment to tackle today’s congestion levels or future mobility needs.
USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx and Deputy Transportation Secretary Victor Mendez have made similar statements in recent weeks, as the Obama administration’s senior transportation officials urge lawmakers to use the current legislation opportunity to make a substantial investment to improve the nation’s infrastructure.
Here is the complete text of Nadeau’s speech: 
FHWANadeau_BOD_Speech_092815.pdf