The BEST Transportation Agency in the U.S.

[JoePCool14]

I'd be really interested to see what you guys think about that.

All I know is that IDiOT is out. 

[froggie]

"The BEST Transportation Agency in the U.S."

...doesn't exist.

[billtm]

I love INDOT, mostly because of the Major Moves program and how they are finishing all their projects very efficiently  . The only complaint I have against them is how they have been recently going on a decommissioning rampage  . Also, I live in Indiana, so there might be a little bias there  .

[hotdogPi]

NHDOT:

Will not use Clearview because it is pointless to replace every sign
Increased speed limit from 65 to 70 on part of I-93, which you will very rarely find in the Northeast
No delayed projects (as far as I know)
Very few speed traps, no speed cameras or red light cameras

[Zeffy]

I'd vote the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, just based on the sole fact that (from what I know) they manage to keep two of the busiest toll roads in the nation (and maybe the world) flowing smoothly. They may have some disruptions here and there, but for the most part I don't think I've ever seen the New Jersey Turnpike or the Garden State Parkway experience a period where a stretch of the roadway is unusable (not including accidents that shut down both lanes of travel) for more than 24 hours.

Like I said though, that's what I know. Maybe they secretly suck and I'm oblivious because I don't get the opportunity to ride either of them.

[Revive 755]

NHDOT:

Will not use Clearview because it is pointless to replace every sign
Increased speed limit from 65 to 70 on part of I-93, which you will very rarely find in the Northeast
No delayed projects (as far as I know)
Very few speed traps, no speed cameras or red light cameras

Problem with rating transportation agencies via speed limits or photo enforcement is that those policies are often set by legislatures, not the actual transportation agency.

I think a decision here would have to be reached by seeing which transportation agency has the least negative aspects.

I love INDOT, mostly because of the Major Moves program and how they are finishing all their projects very efficiently  . The only complaint I have against them is how they have been recently going on a decommissioning rampage  . Also, I live in Indiana, so there might be a little bias there  .

I got many more gripes against INDOT:

- Too many hidden multiplexes in Indiana

- I-465 should not have that many routes attached though in the first place.

- Should not have removed the free-flow connection between SB I-465 and the Sam Jones Expressway

- Seeming needless speed limit reduction on I-65 in the Lafayette area that drags on too long

- Excessive speed limit reductions in work zones; too many instances of the speed limit being down with no apparent work taking place

- Not keeping US 12 open in NW Indiana when there is work on I-94

- The Cline Avenue fiasco

- Letting US 30 through Merrillville get so bad (might be a good superstreet candidate)

- Signal coordination is often lacking

- Seems to use doghouses for split phased signals instead of 4-section heads

[JoePCool14]

If you excuse the Clearview (which IMO doesn't deserve to be capitalized...) I sorta like MDOT. Their signs are mostly consistent and don't leave out details. If not them, I'd go with WisDOT (of course as you know these are in my region so I prefer them...

[Scott5114]

As before when this has been discussed, I vote for KDOT:

• Clear, consistent signage
• No Clearview
• Well-maintained road surfaces (KDOT is not afraid to tear a road down to the dirt and rebuild it if necessary)
• Excellent attention to detail in road geometry (curves are banked just right)
• Does a good job attending to transportation needs in Northeast Kansas (I have heard that their work in Sedgwick County leaves something to be desired, so that is a mark against them)
• Excellent state map
• Well-organized route system
• Frequent decommissionings to avoid spending money on roads that don't need to be state-maintained (freeing it up for improvements on other routes)

Driving in Kansas is always a pleasure, to an extent that I have seen unmatched by any other state so far (although WisDOT and TDOT come close in my limited experience with them).

[pianocello]

Out of the states I'm most familiar with, I'd have to go with Iowa. I especially like the way they are upgrading highways throughout the state, and they know that a full freeway upgrade is sometimes unnecessary.

Of course, you would choose Iowa too if the states they're most familiar with are Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. (Indiana is good with their new projects, but their stick-a-stoplight-anywhere method of dealing with expressways is kinda annoying.)

[SteveG1988]

Burlington county bridge comission gets my vote, tied with the delaware river joint toll bridge comission.

They both maintain some of the oldest bridges over the river, and the Burlington County one has not raised tolls in over a decade.

The bridges are all in great shape, signage is excellent.

[hotdogPi]

Is there anything bad that NHDOT does?

[hbelkins]

Is there anything bad that NHDOT does?

I don't like the way they combine route markers on one sign when highways run concurrently.

And sequential exit numbers.

[AsphaltPlanet]

In my experience, I'd give the nod to Texas.

[J N Winkler]

Is there anything bad that NHDOT does?

Yes.  They put their construction plans online but in encrypted ZIPs and you have to purchase an actual set of paper plans (lots of moolah) to get a password that allows you to open the encrypted ZIP containing the electronic version of the plans for that project once you have downloaded it.  The vast majority of other states just put the plans directly on the Web where they can be downloaded and viewed free of charge.

I have no time for NHDOT for precisely this reason.  On my personal list they rank fiftieth out of fifty.

[agentsteel53]

New Mexico.  the one part of the state where efficiency is really needed is served by the Big I.  the rest is a mishmash of benign neglect and fascinating disobedience of standards.  you never know what you'll stumble across.  ("holy crap, state named US shields on 2009-vintage green signs!")

[NWI_Irish96]

- Too many hidden multiplexes in Indiana

- I-465 should not have that many routes attached though in the first place.

I don't know why this is a major problem.  I-465 should be used to route through traffic around the city instead of through it.  What sense would it make to have all those routes running right through the city?

- Should not have removed the free-flow connection between SB I-465 and the Sam Jones Expressway

With SJE no longer directly accessing the airport, the volume of traffic doesn't really justify the cost.

- Seeming needless speed limit reduction on I-65 in the Lafayette area that drags on too long

No disagreement there, but I think that's state law and not at INDOT's discretion.

[on_wisconsin]

ISTHA. (Yes toll roads in general can frack off, but hear me out.) Ever since the major rebuild projects started in the late 90's/early 00's driving the tollways has been very nice. The addition of I-Pass and the fixing of some poor designs has easily made them some of the best urban motorways in the Midwest. The one main caveat is of course the other motorists (FIBs) but the infrastructure itself is generally top notch.

[TEG24601]

Having had a lot of experience driving Cross Country, I am fond of WSDOT, ODOT (Oregon), InDOT, MnDOT, and MDOT.  MDOT will loose points with most people for their large-scale use of Clearview.  ODOT has a bad habit of truncating a route but still signing it for years or decades, and have few if any "End" signs.  WSDOT doesn't seem to have a great grasp of long-term simulations/plans, otherwise somethings, like the 520 Bridge would have been built for the expected 40 years growth of the region, not to mention how poorly they organize the ferry system.  InDOT seems to be great in the field, but their website is so hard to navigate, it is nearly impossible to find out what the current projects are.

[Henry]

I'm going with Caltrans, mainly because of their well thought-out routing method (no duplicate routes, unless they're a continuation of each other, like I-110 and CA 110). Also, the major freeway/expressway/bridge projects have resulted in the roads involved being better off than they were before, though the traffic jams are another story.

[mcdonaat]

I'd give the nod to Louisiana. Somewhat biased, but hear me out!

• We don't truncate any U.S. routes that aren't duplicated by other U.S. routes
• We have new Interstate being built as 75 MPH
• Our U.S. highways still follow the old two-laned roads next to the Interstate
• Other than along the I-10 corridor, Clearview is used cleanly, proportionally, and never in route shields or in black text
• We sign our concurrencies well
• TIMED project has churned out some very nice jobs, as in, the Huey P widening and four-laning rural US highways and state highways
• Much of our rural highways are mowed fairly often
• We use communities and local points of interest on directional signage

[Thing 342]

Of the states I regularly drive through, I would nominate NCDOT.

• Good signage practices
• No Clearview
• Active role in new Interstate construction (I-73/74, I-485, I-285, Greensboro Urban Loop, etc
• Large sections of 70 MPH, with progress towards 75
• Roads are well-maintained and generally free of debris

[Brandon]

ISTHA. (Yes toll roads in general can frack off, but hear me out.) Ever since the major rebuild projects started in the late 90's/early 00's driving the tollways has been very nice. The addition of I-Pass and the fixing of some poor designs has easily made them some of the best urban motorways in the Midwest. The one main caveat is of course the other motorists (FIBs) but the infrastructure itself is generally top notch.

I'll agree about ISTHA locally.  They do a lot of things better than IDOT, and don't get me started on CDOT.  What possesses CDOT to think a five lamp tower with a "LEFT TURN ON GREEN ARROW ONLY" sign is OK is beyond me.  As for signage,

ISTHA > IDOT District 1 > CDOT

CDOT's signage can be so abysmal that it makes IDOT Districts 8 (Collinsville) and 9 (Carbondale) look good.  On the other hand, ISTHA has installed the first arrow-per-lane sign in Illinois by an Illinois-based transportation agency (MoDOT installed one previously at the new I-70 Bridge) on I-355 north just before I-88.

[texaskdog]

In my experience, I'd give the nod to Texas.

with our roads that make no sense

[texaskdog]

I'd give the nod to Louisiana. Somewhat biased, but hear me out!

• We don't truncate any U.S. routes that aren't duplicated by other U.S. routes
• We have new Interstate being built as 75 MPH
• Our U.S. highways still follow the old two-laned roads next to the Interstate
• Other than along the I-10 corridor, Clearview is used cleanly, proportionally, and never in route shields or in black text
• We sign our concurrencies well
• TIMED project has churned out some very nice jobs, as in, the Huey P widening and four-laning rural US highways and state highways
• Much of our rural highways are mowed fairly often
• We use communities and local points of interest on directional signage

not decommissioning is a good thing??

[Scott5114]

ISTHA. (Yes toll roads in general can frack off, but hear me out.) Ever since the major rebuild projects started in the late 90's/early 00's driving the tollways has been very nice. The addition of I-Pass and the fixing of some poor designs has easily made them some of the best urban motorways in the Midwest. The one main caveat is of course the other motorists (FIBs) but the infrastructure itself is generally top notch.

ISHTA is the only transport agency where at least one employee has actively yelled at me* (how dare I photograph their tiny stop sign! Obviously I'm going to send that photo to Al-Qaeda or the Taliban or god forbid the Russians). Puts them far out of the running for me.

*An ODOT employee got onto me for taking apart a crash barrier on the decommissioned I-40, but he was considerably more polite about it and didn't threaten to confiscate any of my personal items.