Background
The Research Bureau of the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) administers a program of high quality applied transportation research and technology transfer that provides innovative, relevant, timely and cost‐effective solutions to the increasingly complex problems confronting the Department, the State of New Mexico, our Nation and the international community. The Research Bureau seeks to accomplish this mission through close coordination with our partners and customers, consistent with the strategic goals and key principles established by the Department. The Research Bureau is an organizational component of the Research and International Programs Division, and is physically located on the campus of the State Transportation District 3 headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Funding and Authority
The Research Bureau is funded exclusively through federally participating State Planning and Research (SP&R) funds, with a 20 percent state match. These funds are directed for use in both planning and research activities at a prescribed proportion of federal aid.Federal laws administered through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provide funding to research programs at state transportation departments. Authorization for the research programs is established under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act or "FAST Act" and previous acts.
Program Purpose
The primary function of the Research Bureau is to identify and manage implementable research projects that effectively address current and future transportation challenges. Other important functions include: technology transfer projects; on call research; research technical services; pooled fund projects; university technology centers; regional and national research; literature and best practice searches, and; library services.
The Research Bureau follows a rigorous internal processthat ensures research projects provide innovative, relevant, timely and cost‐effective solutions to current and future transportation challenges.Emphasis is placed on three critical steps:
Research Project Solicitation and Selection Process – The RPS is designed to encourage participation from all department personnel, the goal being to identify critical transportation challenges and implementable research projects to address those challenges. Individuals and entities external to NMDOT may propose research projects, but only those proposals that have strong internal NMDOT sponsorship move forward for consideration. After a thorough literature review and precise definition of a problem statement, project advocates make presentations to the Research Oversight Committee (ROC), which: 1)evaluates and ranks project requests based upon their relative merit and; 2) recommends a specific level of funding and a required timeline for completion for each research project.
Project Administration – Eachapproved researchprojectisguidedbyatechnicalpanel composedofthe sponsor, the advocate,NMDOT staffwithan interestinthe researchsubject,andResearch Bureaustaff. The Research Bureau project manager provides active guidance and oversight to the technical panel to ensure research procedures, including project deliverables, are consistent with the terms of the contract and the project stays on time and on budget. Interim and final reports are required and approved by project manager with input from the technical panel.
Project Implementation – Each research project requires the completion of a comprehensive, viable implementation plan as a separate and distinct deliverable. This implementation plan should provide specific guidelines that NMDOT staff can follow to implement the research findings and recommendations. The consultant will discuss the requirements for the implementation plan with the project manager, the Research Implementation Engineer and the technical panel on a regular basis during the research process to ensure the implementation plan provides appropriate and precise technical guidance for NMDOT staff.
Organizational Structure
The NMDOT Research Bureau staff is comprised of ten employees. The Research Bureau Chief directs program activities and provides program oversight. The Engineering Coordinator is responsible for the project solicitation and selection process and development and coordination of these activities with the Research Oversight Committee. The Research Implementation Engineer ensures proposed projects can be effectively implemented and, further, is responsible for the implementation of project findings and recommendations. Four project managers coordinate project activities, including managing technical panel activities required for the timely and successful completion of projects. Two administrative staff are responsible for financial administration, including budget, contract and human resource management. The Librarian provides services related to organization and maintenance of a full service transportation library, including the Research Bureau website.
Research Bureau staff is encouraged to participate in national transportation activities and over the last few years staff have delivered numerous presentations on relevant topics at national and international conferences, and have had a number of peer reviewed technical papers published in the Transportation Research Record. The Library holds the largest and most comprehensive source of transportation-specific reference materials in the state and is accessible to both state employees and the general public.