WASHINGTON — The new institute charged with educating and training state departments of transportation about transportation financing will host its first live webinar Nov. 4, featuring an innovative public-private partnership that is replacing hundreds of structurally deficient bridges.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials this week officially launched the BATIC Institute: An AASHTO Center for Excellence, an education and training component of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Transportation Investment Center announced by USDOT last month. The Institute’s launch included a new web site, www.financingtransportation.org, and a link to a brief survey designed to gather critical information that will shape future Institute offerings.
“With this specialized website, online training, and peer-to-peer exchanges the Institute will deliver the types of services and information our state departments of transportation need to examine all of their options,” said Jennifer Brickett, the Institute director.
The Institute’s webinar will highlight the work of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which is using a public-private partnership to replace 558 structurally deficient bridges throughout the state.
The Institute will provide expertise in all forms of transportation finance, including bonding, federal credit assistance, and public-private partnerships. The Institute is supported by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Public Transportation Association, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Mercator Advisors, LLC.
Congress authorized the Institute under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act to promote programs and activities relating to the work of state DOTs in the area of project finance. These transportation investments will help to improve the quality, productivity, safety and efficiency of the nation’s surface transportation systems.
More on the Institute, the survey and the webinar is available at www.financingtransportation.org.