Research


Scope and Content Note

The series consists of standard subject files and copies (sometimes called "book copies") of outgoing correspondence of the commissioner of the Dept. of Transportation (DOT), and also card files (hundreds of thousands of cards) indexing much of the correspondence.

Records cover a wide variety of topics, including various highway projects (involving interstates, arterials, the State Thruway, bridges and grade crossings, and parkways); highways in each of the ten DOT districts; planning; administration and program management; finance; training and recruitment; contracts, legislation, claims, and other legal affairs; files from various DOT bureaus and units, as well as transportation-related authorities, commissions and committees; meetings and conventions of professional organizations (especially the AASHO and AHONAS); rights of way and land acquisition; federal aid; planning and programming; traffic safety, signals, and regulations; and highway research and development.

10487-99: This accretion consists of standard subject files and "book copies" of outgoing correspondence that span several decades. Files are primarily those of commissioners Raymond T. Schuler and T.W. Parker. Correspondence generally dates from 1965 through 1978. Although there is a group of "alphabetical listings" dating from 1944, very few of the records date prior to 1965. About a dozen boxes in the accretion contain card files (tens of thousands of cards) indexing the correspondence. There is a small amount of general personnel correspondence and reports, and several boxes contain a notation "Card Files - Confidential Commissioner's Correspondence."

10487-99A: This accretion consists of standard subject files and "book copies" of outgoing correspondence of the commissioner and executive deputy commissioner of the Department of Transportation (DOT). Files are those of executive deputy E.B. Hughes (1968-1969) and commissioner Raymond T. Schuler. Correspondence generally dates from January 1965 through December 1966; and from January through December 1968.

10487-10: In addition to the commissioner's correspondence, this accretion contains subject files that document the Lake Champlain Bridge Commission, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (Tri-State), and the Governor's Regulatory Review Program, which was established by Executive Order 108 (1988) to ensure that all existing regulations were "current, necessary, and not unnecessarily burdensome."

10487-13: This accretion contains correspondence of Commissioner Franklin E. White dated 1988-1992. It also contains subject files from the Local Roads Research and Coordination Council.

10487-15: This accretion includes records about Woodstock and Bethel, 1994, which likely pertain to the Woodstock '94 music festival.

10487-22, 10487-23 and 10487-24: These accretions contain correspondence and conference/event files of Joseph H. Boardman from 2001-2003. Boardman served as Commisssioner of Transportation from 1997-2005. During his tenure he led the department in its efforts to incorporate environmental initiatives, such as eliminating invasive species and incorpating nature trails, into its operations. The department also implemented Context Sensitive Solutions, a philosophy in which transportation solutions are designed in harmony with the community. Boardman also oversaw "Transformation," an internal reform movement aimed at immproving system mobility and reliability, enhancing economic competitiveness, improving environmental conditions, and ensuring the safety and security of the state's transportation systems.