I became Federal Highway Administrator in October 2001, but as Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation for the past four years, I am well aware of the agency's broad range of programs serving the American people.

This 2001 Report to the American People will help you better understand what the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does and how the agency works with its partners to build, operate, and maintain the best transportation system in the world.

The Report presents FHWA's crucial role in the nation's surface transportation network: from super-smooth pavements to sophisticated software; from the completion of arteries that carry millions each week in our cities to road building in rural areas across America; from helping the Golden Gate Bridge resist earthquake damage to protecting bridge supports from severe erosion at the Indian River Inlet Bridge in Delaware. FHWA is in each of these locations and hundreds more.

Transportation affects every person in our country. A safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable transportation system is vital to every American, whether it be a child living within tribal nation boundaries who needs transportation to school, a person with disabilities who needs access to training, parents who want to spend less time commuting, or a senior citizen seeking mobility options.

FHWA works for all these people, but it does not work alone. Our transportation system is the product of partnerships with state, local and tribal governments, other federal agencies, the transportation industry, academia, and the public.

We are always open to suggestions on how to do better. You can reach us on the Web at www.fhwa.dot.gov or call the FHWA division office nearest you.

We at the Federal Highway Administration are proud to serve America by supporting the best in surface transportation. The many projects profiled in this 2001 Report represent a fraction of our work, and we hope they convey the commitment and pride that FHWA and its many partners bring to their mission.

Mary E. Peters
Federal Highway Administrator
November 2001