Former Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL), Secretary-Designate of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, gave a brief outline of what his priorities would be at his confirmation hearing yesterday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The nomination was then passed along to the full Senate for confirmation.

“A key challenge for those who craft and manage the nation’s transportation programs – that is, all of us here today – will be to link decision-making to performance at all levels,” LaHood said. “This will require a new commitment to measuring performance in real time, as was called for in the recent report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission, and to adjusting our course where progress is not rapid enough. The practice of performance measurement will be key to assuring both that new money is invested wisely and that the public has the confidence to continue supporting continued investments.

“The era of one-size-fits-all transportation projects must give way to one where preserving and enhancing unique community characteristics, be they rural or urban, is a primary mission of our work rather than an afterthought,” LaHood added.

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