Jeff Paniati's insight into transport in the United States is particularly valuable. He was Executive Director of the Federal Highways, where he was responsible for 2,900 employees in 65 offices nationwide and an annual operating budget of $400 million and is now Executive Director and CEO at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).

He led the development and implementation of the highway provisions in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) surface transportation program, including the transformative move to a performance-based federal-aid highway programme. At the start of 2016 the Fixing America’s Surface Transport (FAST) Act was introduced that gave five year funding certainty.

He also reflects on how cities in the United States are changing and also competing for a prize of $40 million fund under the Smart City Challenge. Listen to the insights Jeff provides to Justin Ward on both the challenges and opportunities the US is addressing in terms of its transport system.