Contact: Bill Outlaw
Tel: 202-366-0660
FHWA 2-03

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced a new Web site to provide state and local agencies simple access to a variety of tools and information on traffic congestion and to help them find solutions to traffic problems in their areas.

"Relieving traffic congestion is one of our top priorities," FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters said. "We are working closely with state and local officials to develop and carry out a comprehensive set of solutions designed to help reduce traffic congestion nationwide. This includes providing them with valuable information that can help them manage traffic conditions in their areas."

The new "Congestion and Traffic" Web site - [web site no longer online] - is part of the FHWA's efforts to help state and local transportation agencies develop initiatives to reduce congestion through effective system management and operations strategies.

A section on program tools offers specific information on the most prevalent causes of traffic congestion: traffic incidents and work zones. About half of all traffic congestion is caused by temporary disruptions such as traffic incidents and work zones, dramatically reducing the available capacity and reliability of the entire transportation system.

The agency developed the Congestion and Traffic Web site in response to the need on the part of state and local partners for technical guidance and best practices. The new site consolidates all the information found about traffic congestion on FHWA's Web site onto one portal, linking to the various FHWA programs and services designed to help mitigate congestion. It also links to specific state programs designed to manage congestion and to articles, research, and other information related to traffic conditions.

More information on traffic operations is available at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov.