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Federal
Highway Administration 21-03
Contact: Bill Outlaw, 202-366-0660
Friday, June 27, 2003
FHWA
Unveils New Web Site
To Help Local, State Agencies
Manage Surface Transportation Security
The
U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today
announced a new Web site to provide state and local agencies simple access to
information on improving security in the operation of the surface transportation
system.
"The
need to ensure the security of America's surface transportation system is a top
priority for the FHWA," said FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters said.
"We are working closely with the Department of Homeland Security and
other federal agencies to help state and local officials develop and carry out a
comprehensive set of improvements to increase the security of our transportation
network."
Peters
said that a key element in this plan is providing state and local agencies with
valuable information that can help them to make wise decisions to improve the
security of roadway operations in their areas.
The
new "FHWA Operations Security" Web site at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/OpsSecurity
is part of the FHWA's efforts to help state and local transportation agencies
develop initiatives to improve security through effective planning, operation
and application of technology.
A
section on the Web site offers specific information on how to plan effectively
for managing emergencies, how to align action plans with the nation's Homeland
Security Advisory System, and how to improve military mobilization on roadways.
Roads are the primary means of responding to an incident.
All emergencies and incidents have a transportation component, and roads
are the critical means through which response and recovery strategies can be
carried out.
An
extra benefit is that many of the measures that improve security also improve
transportation's ability to handle natural disasters like hurricanes and
earthquakes.
The
agency developed the Operations Security Web site in response to the expressed
need on the part of state and local partners for technical guidance and best
practices. The new site links to
the information on transportation security from all of the department's
administrations, from other federal agencies, and from the associations
participating in the National Associations Working Group for Intelligent
Transportation Systems. The Web
site also links to articles, research, and other information related to
transportation security.
More
information on traffic operations is available at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov.
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