About the Center
Center Purpose and Mission
Established in the 2005 SAFETEA-LU transportation authorization act, the mission of the AASHTO Center for Excellence in Project Finance is to provide support to State Departments of Transportation in the development of finance plans and project oversight tools and to develop and offer training and state-of-the-art finance methods to advance transportation projects and leverage funding.
The Center provides four primary services:
- Professional Education
- Research Services
- Technical Assistance
- Information Dissemination
In addition to providing information about all of the Center's services and events, this website is the Center's primary vehicle for information dissemination, providing comprehensive information on aspects of project finance for transportation improvements.
Why the Center?
The Center enables senior executives and finance professionals to enhance their understanding of the ramifications of new financing approaches and policies and employ them more effectively. The work of the Center can help encourage a fundamental transformation in how State DOTs and other project sponsors advance major projects and program initiatives. To address the nation's mobility needs successfully, the traditional stewards of tax-supported grant programs must evolve into dynamic leaders better able to embrace innovation, utilize technology and adapt to fluid economic and social conditions.
The strategic goals for the Center are to assist State DOTs and other project sponsors to:
- Understand the risks and benefits of various financing approaches and be conversant with the latest developments and techniques in project finance;
- Assess the policy implications and realize the benefits of partnering with the private sector;
- Address institutional capacity/capability issues by developing strategic management skills for implementing new project financing approaches and techniques; and,
- Communicate effectively with their peer agencies, with policy makers, and with the public at large, in order to proactively address the nation's growing infrastructure investment crisis.
Participating Agencies
The U.S. Department of Transportation and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.