2009 - 2010 Annual Report TABLE OF CONTENTS About MTI 02 Executive Director’s Summary 03 Administration and Staff 08 Research 18 National Transportation Finance Center 80 Communications and ITT 92 Education 110 National Transportation Security Center 118 National High-Speed Rail Policy Center 140 Appendices 144 Financial Illustrations 146 Organizational Chart 147 Research Associates Policy Oversight Committee 148 Certified Research Associates 149 Project Team Members 150 Research and Project Assistants 152 Editorial Associates and Transcribers 153 MTI Student Assistants 153 Graduate Transportation Management Program Faculty 154 Acknowledgements 155 Board of Trustees 156 About The Mineta Transportation Institute The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) was originally designated by Con- gress as a non-technical, policy research and education center in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 and reaffirmed by the Institute’s Board of Trustees after reauthorization in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998. MTI undertakes research, education, and information/technology transfer programs relative to the policy control and management of all surface transportation modes. Within those parameters, MTI produces studies of the best examples of surface transportation policy and mana- gement activities in the world, accumulates those into peer-reviewed publications, and communicates best practices to MTI’s professors, students, and the nation’s transportation leaders. During the 1991 ISTEA, 1998 TEA-21 and 2005 SAFETEA-LU debates, Con- gress strongly expressed the desire to assure the international competitiveness of the nation’s transportation systems. Because much larger motor vehicle fuel taxes are available in other industrialized countries, the U.S. will not be able to outspend so it must outsmart the competition. Therefore, MTI’s objective is to identify through research, to teach through education, and to broadly dissemi- nate through information/technology transfer programs the best transportation practices in use throughout the world. MTI’s work encompasses all modes of surfa- ce transportation, including the interface between those modes. MTI is organized by function, with directors operating in each of three depart- ments – Research (including the National Transportation Finance Center, the National Transportation Security Center of Excellence for both US DOT and DHS, and the National High-Speed Rail Policy Center), Education, and Commu- nications and Information & Technology Transfer. 2 Mineta Transportation Institute Executive Director’s Summary Executive Director Rod Diridon, Sr. Background The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), formally known competition against 36 of the nation’s top universities. MTI as the Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surfa- was proud to be chosen again as one of the country’s ten Tier ce Transportation Policy Studies, has grown significantly 1 UTCs. since designation in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 as a policy research center attached to MTI has become a preeminent resource to the national tran- the College of Business at San José State University (SJSU). sportation community on the three priority topics, although At that time, MTI was the only university transportation other policy issues are studied when requested by US DOT center in the nation not affiliated with a college of enginee- Western Resource Center, Caltrans, and the MTI Trustees. ring. At the end of ISTEA, MTI had a total annual budget MTI education programs have been broadened to include of $500,000 and four research projects in process. A newly professional Certificates in Transportation Security Manage- accredited Master of Science in Transportation Management ment and in High Speed Rail Management. (MSTM) and a graduate Certificate in Transportation Management (CTM), were offered but had only a handful The current MTI structure is summarized in the organiza- of students. tion diagram in the Appendix and includes three depart- ments with three more national research centers under the In 1998, MTI was reauthorized to receive a four-year Tran- Research Department. The three basic departments are sportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) grant Research, Education, and Information/Technology Tran- for $750,000 per year through the U.S. Department of Tran- sfer. Besides general research under the Research Depart- sportation’s Research and Special Programs Administration ment, the following three national centers provide unique (RSPA). The California Legislature provided a matching expertise: 1) National Transportation Security Center of grant through the California Department of Transportation Excellence (for both US DOT and DHS), 2) National Tran- (Caltrans). TEA-21 required that the 17 Group B and C Uni- sportation Finance Center, and 3) National High-Speed Rail versity Transportation Centers (UTCs) compete, with ten to Policy Center. Each of those functions are summarized in the be selected to continue at $1 million each per year for the fi- following paragraphs and described in detail in the body of nal years of the authorization. After an extremely competiti- the report. ve application and interview process, MTI was chosen one of the ten continuing Centers of Excellence. Caltrans matched To be consistent with previous annual reports, performance the federal grant, confirming their commitment to MTI. is being reported since MTI was fully funded under Tea-21 in 1999. During this evolutionary period, MTI’s ISTEA surface tran- sportation policy and management legislative mandate was Research Department honored and became focused on three specialties: 1) security Director Karen Philbrick, PhD and emergency response management, 2) finance, and 3) land Since 1999, MTI has published 79 expert-conducted, peer- use, transportation, and the environment interrelationships. reviewed policy research projects and has 36 more under These issues were emphasized, after the Tier 1 program was contract and in process. During the past fiscal year, rese- reauthorized in 2005 and in MTI’s 2006 SAFETEA-LU arch supported by the SAFETEA-LU and Caltrans grants 2010 Annual Report 3 engaged 94 of MTI’s 164 certified Research Associates (RA), Washington, DC. Jenkins was the lead author on seven MTI most of whom are Ph.D.s, as well as 52 student research assi- peer reviewed research reports published this fiscal year. stants. Significant research and information transfer efforts (local and regional forums, national symposia or summits, Dr. Edwards, together with MTI research associate Dan etc.), often sponsored by non-grant funds, have also been Goodrich, gave an invited presentation on their transporta- completed. Research topics are selected annually through a tion and campus emergency planning research at the 13th carefully structured needs assessment process involving de- Annual FEMA Higher Education conference. NTSCOE also signated U.S. DOT and Caltrans committees, the internatio- has been directly involved in developing an updated ver- nally prominent MTI Board of Trustees, and other national sion of the federally-mandated Continuity of Government transportation leaders. The projects and research teams are / Continuity of Operations (COOP/COG) Plan for transpor- chosen after a structured bidding and selection process. Fi- tation agencies, working with Caltrans as a test bed, and in nal project selection is made by the MTI Research Associate researching the role of exercises in transit and transporta- Policy Oversight Committee (RAPOC), which is made up of tion systems’ emergency preparedness. Two full reports, a the seven chairs, or their designees, of the interdisciplinary white paper and a supplemental report have resulted from academic departments at SJSU that are associated with this NTSCOE research on various aspects of the interface of MTI. The summary of activities for the three sub-centers in transportation and other elements of emergency planning, the Research Department follows. training, exercising and response. National Transportation National Transportation Finance Center Security Center of Excellence Director Asha Agrawal, PhD Director Brian Michael Jenkins Transportation finance plays a significant role in transporta- Deputy Director Frances Edwards, PhD tion policy-making. Therefore, in 2007 MTI established the MTI’s National Transportation Security Center analyzes th- National Transportation Finance Center (NTFC). The objec- reats to surface transportation and how they affect security tives are to conduct surface transportation finance research policy and countermeasures. This includes ongoing detai- and present the results to policy makers. The NTFC also led case studies of major terrorist attacks and tactics, and educates decision makers, planners, and the public about updating MTI’s chronology of terrorist attacks and other current transportation finance debates and opportunities. serious crimes against surface transportation. Additionally, the Center conducts research into best practices in emergen- MTI is especially interested in “smart” finance options, or cy preparedness and management, especially as it relates to ways to generate necessary transportation revenues while transportation. promoting environmentally sustainable transportation sy- stems, congestion management, and social equity. The Center’s director and deputy director have made several presentations to state and national transportation leaders In the