Effective October 1, 1998, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is streamlining its field organization and strengthening program delivery by replacing its nine regional offices with four "virtual" resource centers. These centers and their locations are as follows: Eastern (Baltimore, Maryland), Southern (Atlanta, Georgia), Midwestern (Olympia Fields, Illinois), and Western (San Francisco, California). They are referred to as "virtual" because they will include for a temporary transition period while personnel are being relocated the five former regional offices that will be closed.

The resource centers support the State-level division offices in their primary role of program delivery to FHWA's partners and customers by providing leadership on strategic initiatives, expert assistance on technical, process, and program issues; training; technology transfer; intermodal and interagency coordination; legal services; and civil rights. Each center serves a core constituency of Federal-aid and motor carrier division offices and Agency partners and customers in designated States. The term "core constituency" means that for the purpose of providing administrative supervision to the division offices, the resource centers are assigned a designated group of States in their respective geographical areas. However, specific technical expertise in a given resource center may be shared with other resource centers and division offices throughout the country. The resource centers do not exercise program control over the division offices, which are empowered to carry out the Federal-aid and motor carrier programs within their respective States.

Full implementation of the restructured field organization, including the relocation of personnel and closing of facilities, is expected to take place over a period of two years.

The FHWA is also developing a new Headquarters structure that will focus resources on core business aligned with FHWA's strategic goals and objectives, reduce fragmentation and duplication, align better with and serve the field, and improve collaboration throughout the organization. The new structure as currently planned will include five core business areas, namely, Planning and Environment, Infrastructure, Operations, Motor Carrier (see note) and Highway Safety, and Federal Lands Highways, and eight cross-cutting support units, namely, Policy; Administration; Research, Development, and Technology; Chief Counsel; Civil Rights; Public Affairs; Professional Development; and Corporate Management. A detailed implementation plan for the new Headquarters organization is being developed and will be finished by December 31, 1998. Implementation will begin in January 1999.

Further changes to FHWA's web pages to reflect the new field structure are being developed and will be posted over the next few days.

More information about FHWA's field organization:

• Press Release: FHWA Restructures Headquarters, Field Organizations - Friday, October 2, 1998
• Background Information - Mission and Role of the Resource Centers
• FHWA Field Offices

Note: All motor carrier operations and functions previously performed within the FHWA are now the responsibility of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration which was established on January 1, 2000, as a separate modal administration within the Department of Transportation.

This page last modified on December 26, 2000.