Wyoming Department of Transportation Annual Report 2012 General Information  Wyoming Department of Transportation  John Cox, Director  Contact Person: Janet Farrar, Strategic Performance Improvement Program 5300 Bishop Blvd Cheyenne, WY 82010 (307) 777-4780 [email protected] Statutory Reference W.S. 9-2-2004 and W.S. 24-2-101 grant authority to the Department of Transportation to conduct business as a state government agency Clients Served The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) provides a safe, high quality, and efficient transportation system to all citizens of Wyoming and for those customers who use the transportation system for interstate commerce and travel. Budget Information WYDOT is authorized to operate under the federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1 through September 30. The anticipated expenditures for fiscal year 2012 total $ 611,603,121 including federal funds of $ 288,157,941. Commission The Wyoming Transportation Commission is comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor, with approval of the Senate. Each commissioner serves a six-year term. Each county within a transportation district is represented, in turn, by successive appointments. State law requires the minority party be represented on the commission. The Transportation Commission of Wyoming governs activities of the Department of Transportation (W.S. 24-2-101). The commission generally meets monthly. Wyoming Department of Transportation Annual Report 2012 Report Period: FY2012 (October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012).

Wyoming Quality of Life Result: The following are result statements that the Governor and all state agencies are serious about achieving and maintaining for all citizens of Wyoming: Result #2.

Wyoming has a diverse economy that provides a livable income and ensures wage equality.

Result #6:

Wyoming state government is a responsible steward of State assets and effectively responds to the needs of residents and guests.

Result #7:

Wyoming enjoys a safe, high quality, efficient transportation system.

Result #8:

Wyoming natural resources are managed to maximize the economic, environmental, and social prosperity of current and future generations.

Contribution to Wyoming Quality of Life: The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) contributes to Wyoming’s quality of life by:  Providing a critical avenue for commerce,  Providing for safe travel,  Maintaining and enhancing a quality infrastructure (including the interstate system and all state highways), and  Protecting and preserving the environment and Wyoming’s natural resources. WYDOT’s mission is to provide a safe, high quality and efficient transportation system. Basic Facts The Wyoming Department of Transportation has approximately 2,000 employees and a fiscal year 2011-2012 Biennium Budget of $1,147,531,008 consisting of $ 589,169,588 federal funds and $558,361,420 state funds. Primary functions of the department include the following:  Construction planning, designing, and building transportation projects.  Maintenance keeping existing pavements (chiefly highways and airport runways) and roadside features (such as bridges, drainage, fences, guardrail, and rest areas) in as good a condition as possible through highway maintenance activities.  Administration/regulatory driver’s license issuing and regulation, regulation of commercial vehicles, administering vehicle title and registration, issuing Wyoming operating authority, and collecting and distributing state fuel taxes. Providing road and travel information. Investigating complaints against businesses that WYDOT licenses (such as auto dealers).  Law Enforcement enforcing Wyoming’s motor vehicle traffic laws, providing crash response and investigation, facilitating safety education, and collecting commercial user fees.  Aeronautics managing the state’s Airport Improvement Program, operating the state’s

aircraft, enhancing commercial air service, and administering federal-aid funds related to aeronautics. Note about Safety: Safety is an overriding concern of the department. Performance measures throughout the department integrate safety components. Arriving at one overall safety measure is problematic as safety is all encompassing. Performance: Shown below are a few of the measures that WYDOT uses to gauge performance. To view the overall strategic plan and balanced scorecards that the department uses to track results, please refer to http://www.dot.state.wy.us/wydot/administration/strategic_performance. To achieve 2013 targets relative to the performance measures included in the Strategic Plan and Annual Report, some additional State funding will be sought. Also as an ongoing effort, WYDOT will continue to pursue no cost and low cost solutions.

Performance Measure #1 - Percentage of Road Pavements in Good to Excellent Condition and Percentage of Airport Pavements in Acceptable Condition

Story Behind the Last Year of Performance Overall, 54 percent of Wyoming’s highway pavements are currently rated at good to excellent condition and have remained fairly constant the last three years. In 2000, the pavement condition was 62 percent and in 2007, 49 percent of the highway pavements were rated at good to excellent. Pavement conditions increased mainly due to funds received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus bill) and general funds provided by the Wyoming Legislature. Since these funds are not recurring, WYDOT will attempt to maintain overall pavements with an emphasis on slowing down the deterioration. Condition trends to 2015 show the anticipated leveling of the percentage Good to Excellent, along with an increase in the percent of Poor roads. Airport pavement condition, which is rated differently than road pavement condition, is currently rated at 82 percent Acceptable, based on inspections performed in 2011. An Acceptable condition is considered to be representative of pavement that has not deteriorated to a point of potentially causing damage to aircraft. The projected improvement in pavements conditions is expected to be 83%. What has Been Accomplished In fiscal year 2012, WYDOT let 178 highway projects to contract for a total of approximately $323,709,286 million. A system-level pavement needs approach for selecting pavement improvement projects has been developed. The Department is using this pavement management performance modeling system to forecast the effect of various funding distribution scenarios on pavement condition 20 years into the future. A pavement preservation funding strategy is being

used to slow the decline of pavement mileage in Good or Excellent conditions on interstates (I80, I-25, and I-90), national highway system (NHS), and non-NHS routes; however, the roads in Poor condition may continue to deteriorate. Aeronautics administered total airport improvement funds of $20,454,36; of this $8,667,799 were state funds including $5,055,139 in general funds. Airport improvement grants for 77 projects were provided to 31 different airports including major projects in Jackson, Sheridan, and Pinedale, among others. Performance Measure #2 - Customer Satisfaction Survey Rating

Story Behind the Last Year of Performance WYDOT along with the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming has conducted a customer satisfaction survey every two years since 2002. The most recent survey was conducted at the end of 2010. The survey was designed to obtain at a minimum 800 completed surveys and at least 30 completed surveys per county. The survey has a margin of error of + or – 3.4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. In addition, the 2010 survey was designed to reach cell phone owners as well as land line telephone users, and for the first time invited respondents to volunteer as members of our Customer Feedback Panel. The 2010 survey revealed that overall satisfaction remains high. Eight-four percent (84%) of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with WYDOT’s administration of the statewide transportation system. This is up five percentage points from 2008 when 79% were satisfied.

What has Been Accomplished The survey indicated improvements in the following areas:  The highway surface provides a smooth ride (up from 69% satisfied in 2008 to 80% in 2010);  The information on the website is kept current and accurate (up from 83% satisfied in 2008 to 91% in 2010); and  The cleanliness of the highway rest areas (up from 91% satisfied in 2008 to 94% in 2010). Satisfaction with the courtesy of Drivers Services and Wyoming Highway Patrol personnel remains high at 91% and 77% respectively. However, both of these areas had a slight decrease in satisfaction. “Travel delays within highway construction zones are kept at a minimum” also saw a decline (down from 90% satisfied in 2008 to 83% satisfied in 2010). To follow-up on the decline in satisfaction on “delays in construction zones,” as well as the relatively low satisfaction on “whether construction projects are completed on time,” WYDOT sent a survey to the 226 members of our Customer Feedback Panel in July 2011. Among other things, the survey revealed what our customers consider to be an unacceptable delay (more than 10 minutes) and how frequently they think WYDOT completes projects on time (48% answered “often”). In December 2011, WYDOT started requiring contractors to erect roadside signs showing estimated completion dates for all highway construction projects. The next customer satisfaction survey is scheduled to begin in October 2012.

Performance Measure #3 - Seat Belt Usage Rate

Story Behind the Last Year of Performance Wyoming‘s seat belt usage rate in 2011 was 82.6%, which is up from 81.7% in 2010. The rate continues to increase, which is promising, but WYDOT officials will remain vigilant in increasing the seat belt usage rate to the national average of 85%. WYDOT is certain that increasing the use of vehicle restraints will decrease fatalities. What has Been Accomplished WYDOT continues to spend funding on enforcement and education to increase seat belt use. WYDOT continues to educate all drivers of the importance of using seat belts by providing campaigns and education classes, such as The WYDOT Report that is televised, the Alive at 25 classes for teen drivers, and visits to schools by WYDOT representatives. Since the introduction of the Alive at 25 Defensive Driving program by the Wyoming Highway Patrol in 2007, the Alive at 25 program has taught over 5,000 Wyoming teen drivers ages 14-24 years, statewide. The number of teen crashes and deaths has also been declining since the program’s introduction as it works concurrently with the Graduated Driver License (GDL) law. Not one graduate of Alive at 25 has been a driver involved in a fatal crash; however one graduate died as a passenger. Alive at 25 continues to grow due to court efforts and other teen drivers recommending the class to their friends. Both WHP and the WYDOT Highway Safety Program continue to implement their strategic plans, which concentrate on increasing the use of safety restraints (seat belts) as well as reducing fatalities, impaired driving, and speeding. The Safety Management System (SMS) continues to be developed. The SMS monitors the roadway system and identifies high crash locations for further review.

Performance Measure #4 - Employee Satisfaction Survey Rating

Story Behind the Last Year of Performance WYDOT conducts an employee satisfaction survey periodically and has set a target of at least 70% overall satisfaction. In 2008, Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) employees were surveyed and overall satisfaction was 65.3%. Using the same survey instrument, the remaining WYDOT employees were surveyed in November 2010 and overall satisfaction was 69.4%. The weighted average for the two surveys was 68.5%. Among questions that received the least favorable responses in 2010 were “getting recognition for doing good work” (only 54% agreed or strongly agreed) and “having good teamwork between different work groups” (only 49% agreed or strongly agreed). To find out more about why so many employees feel insufficiently recognized for their efforts, in September 2011, WYDOT sent a survey on employee recognition to a random sample of 476 employees. Survey results indicated that many supervisors give little or no recognition, but when they do, it is often criticism for unsatisfactory performance. We also learned that for most employees, a simple “thank you” is sufficient recognition and for a few employees, no special recognition was expected at all. To follow-up on the relatively low score on intergroup teamwork, in February 2012, a “pilot” survey

on teamwork was sent to a small sample of employees. The survey was revised based on feedback from the pilot, and then a final survey was sent to 461 employees in August 2012. In June-July 2011, WYDOT developed and presented a workshop for supervisors titled “Beyond the Almighty Dollar: Recognition and Rewards in the Workplace.” In 2011 the Patrol administered a slightly modified version of the 2008 survey and overall satisfaction was 66.7%, up slightly from 65.3%. The next WYDOT employee survey is planned for March 2013. The next WHP employee survey is planned for April 2014.