An Action Plan for Risk Management in the Virginia Department of Transportation: Final Report

About the report:

In part 3 of a three-phase effort, the Virginia Transportation Research Council was requested by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to develop a comprehensive risk management system to confront the threat of tort liability caused by transportation system defects. The first two phases of the project involved research into risk management and identification of areas within VDOT that required improved risk management. During the current phase, an action plan for risk management was developed with input from the Risk Management Task Force to accomplish three goals: (1) reduce the risks to human safety caused by transportation system defects, (2) reduce the risk of financial loss due to the tort liability of VDOT, and (3) prepare for unavoidable liability. The recommendations included the formation of a Risk Management Group and an Office of Risk Management as well as the designation of the Operations Center in the Maintenance Division as the central command post for VDOT's emergency response efforts. The recommendations also included establishing additional cooperation between VDOT and existing state agencies to accomplish risk management objectives and developing training procedures and formal work response criteria for VDOT employees. Finally, the establishment of comprehensive systems for inventory, maintenance, and documentation was recommended to increase the flow of information on and response to roadway defects. The report concludes that implementation of this action plan would decrease tort liability by increasing road safety and the availability of information on transportation system defects.

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