(See appendix II for selected provisions regarding the  Defense Access Roads program.) The DAR Program Has Begun to Address Some Transportation Needs in Growth Communities but Its Use Has Been Limited

Although the DAR program has addressed some transportation needs in  communities surrounding many military growth installations, we found  that a lack of knowledge of the program in general and, specifically, a lack  of clear guidance on how to navigate the program’s complex certification  and funding processes, has limited its use. Because most of the population growth at the  26 installations will likely occur by September 15, 2011—the mandated  completion of the 2005 BRAC round—and considering the 10-year time  frame necessary to proceed from design to construction for some major  transportation projects, as estimated by the Maryland Department of  Transportation’s State Highway Administration, most of the certified DAR  projects to date will not immediately mitigate the transportation needs in  the near term but should provide some relief in later years if and when the  projects are funded and completed. When officials from these 22 installations were asked what  could be improved with the program, 11 of the 22 said that more  information on how to certify and fund DAR projects would be helpful. In  addition, without up-to-date regulations and working-level guidance  clearly communicated to better inform potential users about the DAR  program process, the likelihood exists that the program as designed is not  being used to its fullest extent. Defense-Related Transportation Needs Are Funded through Various Means

Transportation projects in defense-affected communities can be funded  through several federal or state resources. As DOD implements our June 2008 recommendation to regularly hold  meetings with high-level federal officials of the full Economic Adjustment  Committee, as DOD agreed to do in concurring with our  recommendation, we further recommend that the Secretary of Defense  direct the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and  Logistics) to routinely coordinate with the Secretary of Transportation to  (1) meet regularly, (2) identify all existing federal transportation funding  resources, and (3) develop a strategy for affording priority consideration  for the use of those funds and other resources for the benefit of  communities most severely affected by DOD. However, we continue to believe that in order to provide an opportunity  for better utilization of the DAR program, DOD needs to work with the  Department of Transportation to develop working-level guidance and  effectively communicate the regulations and working-level guidance to all  federal, state, and local stakeholders. According to DOD,  three installations are located in the growth community of North Carolina  Eastern Region—Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, Cherry Point Marine  Corps Air Station, and New River Marine Corps Air Station—and  therefore, this review addresses the transportation needs and the use of  the Defense Access Roads (DAR) program at a total of 26 growth  “installations,” as listed in table 1 of this report, rather than 24 growth  “communities.” In addition, to address our objectives, we developed a data  collection instrument consisting of 12 structured interview questions  addressing: (1) the installation’s transportation needs; (2) the possible  sources of funding to address the needs; (3) the installation officials’  experience in interacting with state, local, and federal transportation  authorities; (4) the impact, if any, of unmet transportation needs; (5) the  installation officials’ awareness of the DAR program; its purpose, and its  process; (6) the use of DAR program at the installation since 2000; and (7)  the installation officials’ experiences with what works well and what  improvements could be made to the DAR program. In  order to determine the program’s purpose and processes, we (1) reviewed  appropriate DOD and Department of Transportation regulations and  guidance, (2) interviewed a DOD official in the Office of the Deputy Under  Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment) and Department of  Transportation officials at the headquarters of the Federal Highway  Administration in Washington, D.C., and (3) conducted extensive  interviews with DOD officials responsible for implementing the DAR  program at the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command— DOD’s program administrator—at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and with  Department of Transportation officials from the Federal Highway  Administration’s Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division in Sterling,  Virginia, whose jurisdiction’s includes 18 of the 26 growth installations  considered in this review. To identify any additional steps that may be necessary to address a large  pool of unmet transportation needs in impacted communities, we  identified potential transportation funding resources related to assisting  defense-affected communities. To determine federal policy regarding  assistance for defense-impacted communities, we reviewed Executive  Order 12788, which designates the Secretary of Defense, or his designee,  as chair of the Economic Adjustment Committee and directs federal  agencies to give priority consideration to requests for federal assistance  from defense-affected communities as part of a comprehensive plan used  by the committee, and DOD Directive 5410.12, which states that it is DOD  policy to take a leadership role in assisting defense-affected communities. Access roads providing new connections between either old or new military  installations and main highways. This support  may be used, to the extent permitted by law, to provide a  coordinated  Federal  response  to  the  needs  of  individual  States, regions, municipalities, and communities adversely  affected by necessary Defense changes; and        (2)  Afford  priority  consideration  to  requests  from  Defense-affected  communities  technical  assistance, financial resources, excess or surplus property,  or other requirements, that are part of a comprehensive plan  used by the Committee. Construction. High Level Leadership Needed to Help Guam Address Challenges Caused  by DOD-Related Growth. Results-Oriented Government: Practices That Can Help Enhance and  Sustain Collaboration among Federal Agencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

The unprecedented growth at 26 military installations across the country due to the implementation of several concurrent Department of Defense (DOD) initiatives is expected to stress transportation needs for surrounding communities. The Defense Access Roads program, while small when compared to other transportation funding sources, provides a means for DOD to pay a share of the cost of highway improvements due to unusual and sudden DOD-generated activities. In response to a congressional request to review the program, GAO (1) assessed the use of the program to mitigate transportation needs and (2) identified additional steps that may be necessary to address unmet transportation needs. GAO conducted extensive interviews with 26 growth installations and visited installations and state authorities in Maryland, Texas, and Virginia to discuss transportation issues.

What GAO Found

The Defense Access Roads program is providing some assistance in mitigating transportation needs in communities surrounding growth installations, but program usage has been limited, in part, by a lack of knowledge of the program, outdated regulations, and unclear guidance on how to navigate the program's complex process. DOD has certified 20 transportation projects at 11 of the 26 military installation locations since 2004. Of the 20 certified projects, 11 have been funded at about $125 million. Considering funding delays and construction time frames, most of the approved projects to date are unlikely to provide relief in the near term. The procedures of the Defense Access Roads program are complex, involving multiple federal, state, and local stakeholders. The guidance describing the program's procedures and, specifically, the application of the criteria, is difficult to follow and some regulations and guidance are outdated. Despite program outreach efforts and positive experiences with program administrators, military officials from 11 installations said that more information would be helpful to clarify the program's procedures. Without program guidance that clearly details the program's procedures and is effectively communicated to all stakeholders, the program may not be used to its fullest extent. GAO identified an additional step that may be necessary to meet the large pool of the transportation needs that are not being met by the Defense Access program--greater high-level federal interagency coordination. Aside from the Defense Access Roads program, other sources of funding exist that can be used to help mitigate unmet needs in the defense-affected communities. Local and state agencies generally have the responsibility for constructing and maintaining highways and are the recipients of billions of dollars from federal sources, such as grants from the Department of Transportation or through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. GAO found that some of the transportation projects at several of the military growth locations have been funded by the states in which they are located and others are recipients of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Because this assistance is coming from diverse sources and is largely uncoordinated among the stakeholders involved, it is unclear to what extent priority consideration is being given to the defense-affected communities as prescribed by Executive Order 12788. This presidential order provided for a federal committee--the Economic Adjustment Committee--bringing together 22 agencies, under the leadership of the Secretary of Defense or his designee to, among other things, support various programs designed to assist communities most affected by defense activities. As chair of the committee, DOD has the opportunity to convene full committee meetings and exercise high-level leadership needed to ensure that federal agencies are affording priority consideration to defense-affected communities. However, the committee has only rarely convened and has at no time discussed transportation needs affecting all 26 growth locations. Without this leadership, it is unlikely that the federal agencies can provide the effective interagency and intergovernmental coordination and potential funds needed to help address the unmet transportation needs of defense-affected communities.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOD in coordination with the Department of Transportation (1) update, clarify, and communicate the program's guidelines to all stakeholders to promote more effective program utilization, and (2) ensure regular meetings of appropriate high-level leaders to identify existing federal transportation funding resources and develop a strategy for giving priority consideration to defense-affected communities. DOD partially concurred with our recommendations.