Each year, TRB’s Technical Activities Division staff visit state departments of transportation, as well as selected universities, transit and other modal agencies, and industry organizations, to determine the issues they are facing and how TRB can help in addressing those issues. The 2009 field visits by TRB Technical Activities staff reveal that leaders and staff in transportation agencies across the country are applying dedication and innovation to serve their customers effectively, despite unprecedented financial challenges. The efforts are yielding progress toward key goals, from reducing traffic deaths to improving the environment—and in the long term, to livability and sustainability.