The Florida Department of Transportation's Highway Construction and Engineering Program's Fiscal Year 1997-98 performance measures do not help in assessing program efficiency and effectiveness, except in limited terms. Program measures that can be used to assess performance indicate the program maintained over 80% of the pavement and over 90% of bridges on the State Highway System at department standards. Construction contract time and cost overruns continue to be a problem, but appear to have leveled off.
The department's proposed Fiscal Year 1999-2000 Legislative Budget Request does not include useful input, output, and outcome measures for each of the program's major objectives. The program needs additional performance measures to allow greater accountability for its use of resources and to address all major areas of the department's mission that relates to the program.
The program's accountability system meets OPPAGA's expectations in two of four areas (data reliability and reporting of information and its use by management). The program's goals or objectives are not clearly and comprehensively defined and performance measures do not adequately assess program performance and need some modifications.
We provided a draft copy of our report to the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, who concurred, but with some exceptions. (See Appendix C.)

Progress Report: FDOT Adopts Some OPPAGA Recommendations to Improve Construction and Maintenance Programs
Report 01-44 September 2001
Highway Construction and Engineering and Transportation System Maintenance Programs
Report 99-29 January 2000
Motor Carrier Compliance Program
Report 98-86 June 1999
PB2 Performance Report for the Florida Department of Transportation's Programs' Performance for Fiscal Year 1997-98
Report 98-60 February 1999

Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.