The Evolution of Programs

The 1972 and 1974 National Transportation Studies (NTS) One of the first attempts of a relatively young Office of the Secretary to coordinate and assert control of the planning efforts of DOT’s modal administrations. 

By Arrigo Mongini

The Department was created as a kind of holding company for different modal administrations, each of which had its own legislative mandate, organizational structure, congressional oversight committees, and constituencies in the public and private sectors. The Office of the Secretary was the only entity with a mandate to improve the functioning of transportation in general, and it soon became clear that this was not an easy task because of the diversity of these modal interests and bureaucracies