The Department of Transportation's Highway Construction and Engineering Program is responsible for planning, designing, and constructing the State Highway System. The Transportation System Maintenance Program is responsible for maintaining roads and bridges.OPPAGA found that:

• Both programs are performing reasonably well in meeting performance-based program budgeting standards. Data for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1999-2000 shows that construction project overruns are decreasing.
• It is doubtful that the department will be able to "build" its way out of congestion problems in the future given prohibitively high costs and the need to protect the state environment and control urban sprawl.
• The department needs to allocate sufficient resources each year to meet the annual needs for resurfacing the State Highway System.
• The Highway Construction and Engineering Program is generally performing well in letting consultant and construction contracts. However, the department could reduce its costs by modifying certain contracting practices.
• Early results indicate that construction projects completed using alternative contracting techniques still experience overrun problems, but less so than projects completed using traditional practices. Use of alternative contracting techniques should be increased.
• The department could reduce its costs by closing the Transportation System Maintenance Program's central warehouse and using contemporary best business practices, such as just-in-time distribution systems, to provide supplies. It should also explore opportunities to reduce the number of local warehouse facilities.
• The Legislature should work with Florida's U.S. Congressional delegation to have federal law amended to allow the department to pursue franchising interstate rest areas. Franchised rest area facilities are operated by retail food or travel service enterprises in exchange for lease payments to the state. If the department could franchise rest areas, it would be able to reduce its costs for maintaining the facilities by up to $15 million annually.