Federal Highway Administration, Region 5

Manager Report

FHWA Survey of Resource Agencies

Rating Processes With Transportation Agencies

Prepared by: The Gallup Organization

September 2007

Report Id: 100035.8

Table of Contents

Introduction

The following pages provide a summary of responses to the Gallup/FHWA Survey of Resource Agencies. Respondents were asked to rate a recent project with a Transportation agency, so the data reflect the views of Resource agencies toward those projects with Transportation agencies. The survey statements were generally rated on a scale which required a response from among six response categories. The statement or dimension averages are based on a 5-point scale, with "1" being the lowest possible average and "5" being the highest average. "Does Not Apply" or "Don't Know" responses are not scored.

The FHWA Resource Agency Scorecard provides feedback on how the region is doing with regards to NEPA processes as compared to the "best practice" or highest scoring region for each survey item. Note the following term definitions:

Index: The average top two box response percentages for statements measuring each category of survey items (Relationship, Communication, Timeliness, Performance, General, and Problems).

Top Two Box: The percentage of "5" and "4" responses.

Best Practice Region: The region with the highest percentage of top two box responses.

Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.

Region 2: New Jersey, New York.

Region 3: Delaware, Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia.

Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee.

Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin.

Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.

Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska.

Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming.

Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada.

Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington.

The lists of transportation and resource reviewers for both 2003 and 2006 were generated by Gallup based on information that existed at the time the surveys were undertaken. It is understood that although they may not represent the entire population of transportation and resource reviewers, they both represent the best list of reviewers that could be constructed. In the absence of any other lists to represent these populations, these lists were treated as the target population for this study. Results based on the data presented in this report, therefore, relate to these lists only and may not be generalizable to any other population of transportation and resource reviewers. For further details on list construction and methodology used for this study, please refer to Technical Notes in the Final Report.

General

Index % Top Two Box

The unit, Region 5, had a score of 51.

The unit, Region 5, had a past data score of 53.

Region Comparison General % Top Two Box

Question 11A.

The following scores apply to the question 11A, Understands your agency’s mission.

The Best Practice Region for question 11A is Region 2.

Question 11B.

The following scores apply to the question 11B, Cares about your agency’s mission.

The Best Practice Region for question 11B is Region 7.

Question 11C.

The following scores apply to the question 11C, Is committed to doing quality work.

The Best Practice Region for question 11C is Region 7.

Question 11D.

The following scores apply to the question 11D, Has competent staff.

The Best Practice Region for question 11D is Region 7.

Question 11E.

The following scores apply to the question 11E, There is a sufficient level of trust between your two agencies.

The Best Practice Region for question 11E is Region 7.

Question 11F.

The following scores apply to the question 11F, Is committed to making the environmental review process a timely one while ensuring environmentally sound projects.

The Best Practice Region for question 11F is Region 4.

Question 11G.

The following scores apply to the question 11G, Is willing to compromise.

The Best Practice Region for question 11G is Region 1.

Question 11H.

The following scores apply to the question 11H, There is a sufficient level of communication between your two agencies.

The Best Practice Region for question 11H is Region 4.

Question 11I.

The following scores apply to the question 11I, Is committed to protecting the environment.

The Best Practice Region for question 11I is Region 4.

Problems

Question 12.

The following scores apply to the question 12, Over the past three years, has your agency's overall relationship with the transportation agency improved, stayed the same, or gotten worse?

Question 13.

The following scores apply to the question 13, In general, how would you rate the overall relationship between your agency and the transportation agency?