U.S. Transportation Agencies’ Trends of Using Construction Engineering and Inspection Consultants and In-House Staff

Author(s):  
Sara Al-Haddad ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Paul M. Goodrum ◽  
Timothy R.B. Taylor ◽  
Ray L. Littlejohn

State transportation agencies (STA) are relying on needs-based construction, engineering, and inspection (CEI) consultants as a primary solution to their staffing deficits. While other studies have examined the reasons STAs hire CEI consultants at an agency level, prior research has not identified potential patterns between project characteristics and STA staffing choices. A national survey was administered to examine how the use of CEI consultants differs by project type, work type, complexity level, and the authority level of inspectors. A rigorous model-building variety of Chi-squared analyses, Cochran’s Q tests, McNemar tests, and binomial logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. This research found that STAs are more likely to use consultants on projects with utilities, drainage, roadway, and/or grading because they either do not have enough staff in-house or do not have the experience in-house to complete these projects. Additionally, most STAs do not grant senior inspector consultants the same authority level as their in-house counterparts. Generally, this research indicates that socio-economic and political factors have both short- and long-term effects on staffing choices in public transportation projects and studying project characteristics might help shed more light on the effects of these decisions. Specifically, the results indicate a need for both the private and public sectors to collaborate and share knowledge to preserve institutional knowledge within agencies. These results suggest that further research into staffing trends and project characteristics is warranted.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2652 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Thistle ◽  
Laurel Paget-Seekins

Public transportation agencies provide reduced fares to seniors, students, and disabled people, but only infrequently provide discounts to low-income members of the general population. A major reason for this is that it is difficult and labor-intensive for transit agencies to determine who is of low income. To address societal need and pilot the feasibility of such a program, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) piloted a program for young people who were unable to receive reduced fares in another way. The MBTA partnered with local municipalities, and applicants proved their eligibility for the program through partner offices. The research requirements in the program provided adequate data to evaluate the effects of the program, but the requirements themselves negatively affected participation and attrition in the pilot. The ways the research affected participation are explored in detail, particularly the attrition rate of subjects throughout the study. It was found that the research requirements disproportionately affected those of very low income as well as African-American and Hispanic participants. Using the data from the pilot, the MBTA decided to implement a full youth pass program benefiting those populations without the barriers of the pilot.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNE W. TAYLOR ◽  
RHIANNON PILKINGTON ◽  
ELEONORA DAL GRANDE ◽  
CONSTANCE KOURBELIS ◽  
HELEN BARRY

ABSTRACTBaby boomers who rent are often overlooked as an important sub-group. We aimed to assess the chronic conditions, risk factors, socio-economic factors and other health-related factors associated with renting in private or public housing. Data from telephone interviews conducted each month in South Australia between 2010 and 2015 were combined. Prevalence estimates were assessed for each risk factor and chronic condition by housing status. The association between housing status and variables of interest were analysed using logistic regression models adjusting for multiple covariates (age, gender, income, smoking, physical activity, area and year of data collection). Overall, 17.4 per cent of the 16,687 baby boomers interviewed were renting, either privately or using government-subsided housing. The health profile of renters (both private and public) was poorer overall, with renters more likely to have all of the chronic conditions and ten risk factors assessed. For public renters the relationships were maintained even after controlling for socio-economic and risk factor variables for all chronic diseases except osteoporosis. This research has provided empirical evidence of the considerable differences in health, socio-economic indicators and risk factors between baby boomers who rent and those who own, or are buying, their own homes.


Author(s):  
Ryoichi Sakano ◽  
Julian Benjamin

Local public transportation agencies provide a nonemergency human transport service to nearby hospitals and doctors' offices. Some users require specialized medical services at a hospital located out of the normal service area. In the Piedmont/Triad region of North Carolina, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) began PART Connections in April 2004, to provide two daily transportation services between the Piedmont/Triad area and the UNC/Duke medical areas. Using current operating cost data of participating transportation systems, round-trip costs to the UNC/Duke medical areas from each county and to the nearest PART Connections stop are estimated. Given the actual number of passengers served by PART Connections during the first nine-month period of the service, the net saving in the operating cost by participating PART Connections is estimated for each system. Then, the total service hours saved by using PART Connections are estimated for each system, and are used to estimate the number of additional passengers served within the system. It is estimated that PART Connections could provide a net saving of $38,000 on operation expenses annually to the participating four county transportation systems. More importantly, PART Connections would enable the four county systems to provide more than 10,000 additional passenger trips within each county annually, by using the saved resources. In addition, 12 local community transportation providers in 15 western counties of the Piedmont/Triad region, which currently do not participate in PART Connections, are estimated to save a modest $9,600 in total annually, by using PART Connections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 04021018
Author(s):  
Kristal Metro ◽  
Christofer Harper ◽  
Susan M. Bogus

Last Subway ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 49-72
Author(s):  
Philip Mark Plotch

This chapter assesses the roles played by New York governor Nelson Rockefeller and New York City mayor John Lindsay, as well as William Ronan, in transforming the transportation system. Ronan, Rockefeller, and Lindsay all realized that improving public transportation was critical to strengthening the economy of the city and the region. They were also well aware of the benefits of a Second Avenue subway, since all three of them lived on the Upper East Side. After Lindsay failed to reorganize the transportation agencies, Rockefeller and Ronan developed their own grand vision for the region's transportation network, and in December of 1966, Ronan stepped down from his post as secretary to begin implementing their plan. At the beginning of the state's 1967 legislative session, Rockefeller and Ronan announced their two-pronged approach. First, they proposed integrating the New York City Transit Authority and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) into the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA). In addition, Rockefeller and Ronan would seek voter approval to borrow $2.5 billion that would be dedicated for roadway and public transportation improvements across the state. In 1967, the governor and Ronan obtained the support they needed to transform the transportation network, a feat that Lindsay had not been able to accomplish.


1971 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Göran Bergendahl ◽  
Goran Bergendahl

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 11606-11606
Author(s):  
Anthony Milki ◽  
Amandeep Kaur Mann ◽  
Daniel Stuart Kapp ◽  
John K. Chan

11606 Background: To determine the factors associated with the utilization of palliative care (PC) in patients with metastatic gynecologic cancer who died while hospitalized. Methods: Data were extracted from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for patients with cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancers from 2005 to 2011. Chi-squared and logistic regression models were employed for statistical analyses. Results: Of 4264 women with gynecologic cancer, 983 (23.0%) utilized PC (median age: 66 years). 2633 (61.8%), 1034 (24.3%), and 597 (14.0%) patients had ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer, respectively. The majority were white (57.9%), and the remainder were black (12.6%), Hispanic (7.8%), and Asian (3.1%). 24.9, 23.9, 23.6, and 25.2% were low, low-middle, middle-high, and high with respect to median income. Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance was found in 46.7, 10.8, and 37.6% of patients. 36.9, 21.0, 18.0, and 24.1% of patients were treated in hospitals in the South, West, Midwest, and Northeast. 11.3, 23.9, and 64.2% of patients were treated in small, medium, and large hospitals, designated as teaching (53.1%) and nonteaching (46.3%) institutions. The utilization of PC increased from 5.2% in 2005 to 30.4% in 2011. Older age (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.10-1.64; P = 0.01), high SES (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.09-1.72; P = 0.01), privately insured (OR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.46-2.24; P < 0.001), treatment at Western (OR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.56-2.41; P < 0.001) and Midwestern hospitals (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.15-1.77; P = 0.001), and depression (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.00-1.80; P = 0.05) were associated with higher PC use. However, race, cancer type, hospital teaching status, and hospital location were not associated with PC use. Conclusions: The use of inpatient palliative care has increased significantly over the study period. The lower utilization of palliative care for terminal illness associated with younger, lower socioeconomic status, Southern and smaller volume hospitals warrants further attention.


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