DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx revealed part of the President's 2017 budget proposal: a 10-year, nearly $4 billion investment to accelerate the development and adoption of safe vehicle automation through real-world pilot projects. Secretary Foxx also announced that the DOT is removing potential roadblocks to the integration of innovative, transformational automotive technology that can significantly improve safety, mobility, and sustainability.
"We are on the cusp of a new era in automotive technology with enormous potential to save lives, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and transform mobility for the American people," said Secretary Foxx. "Today's actions and those we will pursue in the coming months will provide the foundation and the path forward for manufacturers, State officials, and consumers to use new technologies and achieve their full safety potential."
For more information: http://tinyurl.com/jstbuc4
DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, a former mayor of Charlotte, NC, has plenty left to do in the Obama administration's final year. His agency is pushing cities to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, hosting a "Smart City" competition to showcase how technology can improve transportation, and doling out money from a new five-year, $305 billion Federal transportation package.
But in recent weeks, Foxx added two more items that resonate with him personally to his packed agenda. First, he wants to tear down -- or at least improve -- transportation infrastructure that isolates communities. Second, he wants to find a way for cities to get Federal transportation money directly, rather than have it flow almost exclusively through states.
For more information: http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-anthony-foxx-infrastructure-funding.html
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The reauthorization bill increases National transportation funding by 11 percent over the next five years. The FAST Act largely maintains current program structures and funding shares between highways and transit.
The law changes and reforms many Federal transportation programs, including streamlining the approval processes for new transportation projects, providing new safety tools, and establishing new programs to advance critical freight projects. Notably, the FAST Act adds resiliency and tourism to the list of factors that states and MPOs must consider in their transportation planning processes.
The Act requires USDOT to designate alternative fuel corridors along major National highways. This includes electric charging, hydrogen, propane and natural gas. USDOT must solicit nominations for corridors from State and local officials and involve a range of stakeholders. FAST makes Transit Oriented Development (TOD) expenses eligible for funding under highway and rail credit programs. TOD promotes dense commercial and residential development near transit hubs in an effort to support increases in transit ridership and promote walkable, sustainable land use.
For more information: https://www.transportation.gov/fastact/
By the February 4 deadline, 77 cities had submitted applications for the USDOT Smart City Challenge. The competition seeks to create an innovative, fully integrated model city that uses data, technology, and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future. USDOT developed the Smart City Challenge as a response to the trends identified in the Beyond Traffic draft report, issued in February 2015. The report revealed that our Nation's aging infrastructure is not equipped to deal with a dramatically growing population in regions throughout the country.
"I issued this Challenge in December and quite frankly, we are very impressed by the response by community leaders across the country. Cities understand that in order to plan for tomorrow, they need to embrace technology and innovation," said Secretary Foxx. "This Challenge is going to do more than just help one city adopt innovative ideas. Instead, it will serve as a catalyst for widespread change in communities across America."
USDOT will award the winning city up to $40 million to implement data-driven innovations such as automated vehicles and other intelligent transportation systems that make transportation safer, easier, and more reliable. Additionally, Vulcan Inc. will award upto $10 million to the winner to support electric vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies. Also, Mobileye announced that it will outfit the winning city's public bus system with driver-assistance safety technology.
Five finalists will be announced at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin on March 12. They will each receive $100,000 to hone their proposals for the final selection process in June 2016. To view the list of cities that have submitted applications for the Smart City Challenge or explore Smart City Challenge partnership opportunities, visit the website below.
For more information: www.transportation.gov/smartcity
Amid falling prices for gasoline and other motor vehicle fuels, four States began the new year with increases in their fuel-based tax rates due to various types of legislation, while five States saw declines. January 1 brought higher fuel tax rates in Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, and Utah.
Declines in tax rates are mostly due to laws linking the rates to the fuel price. Taxing fuel on its value had long been a way for States to automatically boost receipts as motor fuel prices rose, but the sharp price declines have depleted these States' road funding. Fuel tax rates fell this month in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and West Virginia because of price-linked taxing structures. The rate also declined modestly in Pennsylvania.
For more information: http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/010816fueltax.aspx
FHWA and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently issued a report entitled "SHRP 2 Moving Us Forward: Implementation Highlights 2015." This report provides implementation highlights and successes over the past year from across the four SHRP 2 focus areas (Capacity, Reliability, Renewal, and Safety). Within the Capacity focus area, the report highlights SHRP 2 products C06 (Implementing Eco-Logical), C19 (Expediting Project Delivery), and C20 (Freight Demand Modeling and Data Improvement).
Contact: Amanda Rutherford (202) 366-1332, amanda.rutherford@dot.gov
For more information: http://issuu.com/shrp2/docs/shrp2_2015_eoy_progress_report_01.0/3?e=0/32571960
On May 14, 2015, PlanWorks went live. Comprised of four primary components (Decision Guide, Assessments, Applications, and Library), PlanWorks is built around 44 key decision points in long-range planning, programming, corridor planning, and environmental review.
Four State DOTs and three MPOs received SHRP 2 Implementation Assistance Program (IAP) Lead Adopter funding under Round 6 to apply PlanWorks as part of long-range transportation planning/programming and corridor planning. PlanWorks will be offered again during Round 7 of the IAP, with the application period opening on April 1, 2016, and closing on April 29, 2016. For this offering, User Incentives will be awarded to State DOTs and MPOs.
Contact Gary Jensen (202) 366-2048, gary.jensen@dot.gov; Reena Mathews (202) 366-2076, reena.mathews@dot.gov ; or Larry Anderson (720) 963-3268, larry.anderson@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/goshrp2
A new report, SHRP 2 Moving Us Forward, highlights SHRP 2 implementation activities and progress over the past three years. In 2013, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the FHWA launched the SHRP 2 Implementation Assistance Program (IAP) to deploy SHRP 2 Solutions in real-world situations.
As of October 2015, SHRP 2 has successfully delivered $122 million in financial and technical assistance to agencies across the Nation. More than 40 SHRP2 Solutions have gone through six rounds of the IAP, enabling State DOTs, MPOs, Tribal agencies, FHWA's Federal Lands divisions, and others to benefit from the power of innovation.
This report emphasizes accomplishments from the first three rounds of the IAP. SHRP 2 Moving Us Forward includes a summary of each product's implementation activities, four feature articles showcasing solutions that have already demonstrated extraordinary results, and a description of what's to come.
For more information: http://issuu.com/shrp2/docs/shrp2_2015_eoy_progress_report_01.0?e=22924424/32509626
The TMIP Peer Review program provides an expert panel to review planning agencies' data, methods, tools, and planning models to ensure that the technical processes they are applying meet the agencies' analysis needs. TMIP supports peer reviews by assisting agencies in panel assembly, logistics, funding for travel, and documenting the meetings and preparing a final report.
The Peer Review Program began in April 2003. All reports are available at the TMIP website. The following peer reviews were conducted in fiscal year 2015.
Contact: Sarah Sun (202) 493-0071, sarah.sun@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/resources/peer_review_program
FHWA has been conducting a State of the Practice Review to better understand how State DOTs and MPOs are addressing safety-related, performance-based planning in their long-range plans. Although this is an internal review, FHWA intends to produce a public report summarizing the results. The review includes a baseline assessment for DOTs in all 50 States and the District of Columbia based on Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plans (SLRPs), and a selection of 20 Metropolitan Transportation Plans (MTPs). The baseline will be available to benchmark future progress in considering safety within performance-based planning. The review team consists of representatives from the FHWA Offices of Planning and Safety, and the Volpe Center.
Initial findings indicate that although most States address safety in some capacity in their SLRP, the extent to which States include safety in performance-based planning varies, as do their methods for tracking safety performance. Findings from the MTP review are consistent with the findings of the SLRP review, with a few notable differences, such as the greater degree of detail applied in data sources and monitoring among a few of the MPOs studied.
These results suggest that there are opportunities for FHWA to support improved consistency and progress by States and MPOs. Benchmarking against the baseline for SLRPs produced by this study will help FHWA identify trends and target future activities, from research to technical assistance, or an enhanced focus in planning oversight. This study will also help FHWA identify notable practices among some States and MPOs that can provide model approaches for their peers.
Contact: Dave Harris (202) 366-2825, david.harris@dot.gov; Chimai Ngo (202) 366-1231, chimai.ngo@dot.gov; Rob Ritter (202) 366-8408, robert.ritter@dot.gov; Katie L. Lamoureux (Volpe) (617) 494-3764, katie.lamoureux@dot.gov
The Offices of Safety and Planning have jointly released a new guidebook entitled Applying Safety Data and Analysis to Performance-Based Transportation Planning. This guidebook provides State and regional planners with information on how to effectively use safety data and analysis tools in performance-based transportation planning and programming.
This guidebook will help transportation planners understand the types of safety data they need and how to access them, analysis questions to consider, and opportunities to use the data and analysis to inform planning and programming decisions. Real and hypothetical examples are included throughout the guidebook to demonstrate approaches to addressing each of these topics.
Contact: Chimai Ngo (202) 366-231, chimai.ngo@dot.gov, or Dave Harris (202) 366-2825, david.harris@dot.gov
For more information: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tsp/fhwasa15089/
"Planes, Trains, & Semis: Keeping a Dynamic Economy on the Move: Greater Charlotte Regional Freight Mobility Plan," was held on November 13, 2015, in Charlotte, NC. The peer exchange was sponsored by the Regional Models of Cooperation Initiative, which is supported by the FHWA. Peers included Robyn Bancroft, Strategic Planning Manager, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) in Cincinnati; and Greg Stuart, the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization (Broward MPO) in South Florida.
The peers shared best practices in cooperative regional freight planning in order to inform the development of the Greater Charlotte Freight Mobility Plan. The workshop participants included representatives from the Charlotte region's four MPOs, two rural planning organizations (RPOs), two State DOTs, local governments, and the private sector.
Contact: Jody McCullough, (202) 366-5001, jody.mccullough@dot.gov
The Ohio Every Day Counts, Regional Models of Cooperation Statewide Environmental Justice Workshop was held on December 7, 2015, hosted by Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission; attended by Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs) and Ohio DOT, FHWA Ohio Division Office. This workshop aimed to assist Ohio agencies in strengthening the Planning program development requirements and instituting and/or improving these efforts through the use of regional models of cooperation.
Sessions included defining Environmental Justice (EJ), how to measure it and determine EJ populations' needs. The workshop included presentations, first-level experiences, and group discussions. Presenters reviewed techniques to engage EJ populations in the planning program and leading into National Environmental Act (NEPA) and project development, as well as a Title VI Overview and Connections with Environmental Justice. Peers included Florida's Approach, presented by Rusty Ennemoser, FLDOT; EJ Analysis, presented by Nick Gill, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission; and Techniques for Identifying EJ Populations and Interfacing Multiple Communities, presented by Michael Kelly, Baltimore Metropolitan Council.Contact: Dave Harris (202) 366-2825, david.harris@dot.gov
The Alaska Regional Models of Cooperation Workshop is a virtual workshop scheduled for March 9 and 10, 2016, to focus on strengthening cross-jurisdictional transportation planning in Alaska. The workshop will feature peer representatives from the Nashua Regional Planning Commission in New Hampshire, the New Mexico DOT, and the Center for Community in Sitka, Alaska. It will also highlight examples of Federal agency transportation cooperation in Alaska.
The peers will describe their experiences working across jurisdictional boundaries to address transportation planning topics and will join in a discussion with participants. Attendees will represent Federal land management agencies, Tribal governments, MPO and local governments, transit and Alaska DOT, FTA, and FHWA. Peer presenters include Connie Sipe, Executive Director, Center for Community in Sitka; Jennifer Czysz, Assistant Director at Nashua Regional Planning Commission; and Jessica Griffin, AICP, Government to Government Unit Supervisor for Tribal Coordination in New Mexico.
Contact: Jody McCullough (202) 366-5001, jody.mccullough@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/regional_models/
Five webinars remain in the Regional Models of Cooperation series of ten webinars. MPO transit agency and State DOT practitioners share examples of successful collaborative planning from across the country in a variety of topic areas. In each webinar, speakers share their stories, insights, tools, and methods for successful cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries. View the previously held webinars at the website below.
Contact: Jody McCullough (202) 366-5001, jody.mccullough@dot.gov, or Dave Harris (202) 366-2825, david.harris@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/regional_models/webinars/
A new report explores how select transportation agencies are sharing geospatial information and developing and using GIS applications to support the objectives of the FHWA's Regional Models of Cooperation. The report highlights the geospatial activities that increase efficiency, improve transportation decision-making, and strengthen relationships among agencies.
Contact: Mark Sarmiento (202) 366-4828, mark.sarmiento@dot.gov
For more information: https://www.gis.fhwa.dot.gov/reports.asp
The year 2015 was significant in the six-year history of the Every Day Counts partnership with stakeholders to bring more innovation to transportation, according to Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. Nadeau spoke at the "Leadership in Innovation" session at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, last week.
Nadeau noted that several events that took place in 2015 that will move us closer to our goal of creating a permanent culture of innovation in the transportation community, including those below.
"It's imperative that we get the greatest value for every transportation dollar the public invests," Nadeau said. "A Nationwide focus on innovation is critical to that effort."
For more information: http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting/AnnualMeeting.aspx
A new report summarizes a FHWA-sponsored peer exchange on e-construction that enabled staff of the West Virginia DOT and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department to share best practices on paperless project management. The agenda of the October 2015 exchange in Charleston, West Virginia, included collaboration on mobile field devices, digital signatures, and workflows. The 40 participants also discussed e-construction challenges and lessons learned.
For more information: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc-3/econstruction.cfm
The Federal Highway Administration said vehicle miles traveled in November on all U.S. roads reached an estimated 253.2 billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT), up 4.3 percent from a year earlier and continuing a trend that should make 2015 the heaviest traffic volume year in U.S. history.
For the first 11 months of 2015, the agency said, total U.S. driving reached 2.88 trillion miles, up 3.5 percent from the same point in 2014. That means the pace of VMT growth increased as the year continued, aided by low fuel prices and favorable weather for travel.
The FHWA said the latest data reaffirms "the growing demands challenging the nation's roads" and underscores the value of new Fixing America's Surface Transportation or FAST Act, which will invest $305 billion in U.S. surface transportation infrastructure - including $226 billion for roads and bridges - over the next five years.
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa1605.cfm
As oil prices have continued to fall, State DOTs are now finding the lowest costs for road-paving asphalt since the recession of 2008-09. The lower cost for the oil-based construction material occurs at the same time as States are getting ready to tap into the modestly higher Federal funding levels that Congress approved for highway programs under the five-year FAST Act authorization of the Highway Trust Fund.
Infrastructure investment advocates say that infrastructure investment is, in effect, on sale and States could improve highways and other transportation systems at low cost now through projects that will boost their commerce and mobility for decades to come. A number of State agencies track asphalt prices and publish indices that show monthly prices going back many years. These include:
For more information: http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/012216asphalt.aspx
The Transportation Planning Process Briefing Book is now available online for download on the Capacity Building website. This version of the Briefing Book contains statutory information related to MAP-21. FHWA is working now to update the Briefing Book with information on the FAST Act of 2015.
FHWA encourages interested parties to review the online version of the Briefing Book, and to contact the individuals below with any questions or concerns. FHWA will begin printing the Briefing Book once the updates are complete. Please note that this version of the Briefing Book contains statutory information related to MAP-21, but does not yet reflect regulations on Performance Measures, or the Planning Regulations. FHWA is working to update statutory information related to the FAST Act of 2015.
Contact: James Garland, (202) 366-6221, james.garland@dot.gov, or Spencer Stevens, (202) 366-0149, spencer.stevens@dot.gov
For more information: www.planning.dot.gov
FHWA staff from the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty led the U.S.-Mexico Innovative Border Finance Workshop, held January 20-21, 2016, in San Diego, CA. FHWA and the Mexico Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) organized and sponsored the workshop as part of the U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee on binational border planning. More than 100 public and private border stakeholders participated in discussions on funding for developers and sponsors of border-related projects. The principal workshop themes included:
Representatives from FHWA, USDOT Office of the Secretary, Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, General Services Administration, and SCT spoke at the event.
Assistant Secretary Maria de Los Angeles Gonzales for the Mexican Secretariat of Finance discussed the requirements and processes for financing Mexican infrastructure. The Honorable Mary E. Peters, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2006-2009), served as the keynote speaker and discussed private-public partnerships and risk mitigation for border infrastructure.
Contact: Sylvia Grijalva, (602) 510-7986, sylvia.grijalva@dot.gov
For more information: https://www.borderplanning.fhwa.dot.gov/mexico.asp
Two International Plenaries with Transport Canada and the Mexico Secretariat of Communications and Transportation are upcoming. The first, The Transportation Border Working Group Spring 2016 Plenary, will be hosted by FHWA in Alexandria Bay/Watertown, NY on May 17-18, 2016. The contact for this plenary is David Franklin, U.S.-Canada Border Coordinator.
The Joint Working Committee Spring 2016 Plenary will be hosted by the Mexico Secretariat of Communications and Transportation April 6-7, 2016 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The contact for this plenary is Sylvia Grijalva, U.S.-Mexico Border Coordinator.
Contact: David Franklin (317) 480-2030, david.franklin@dot.gov, or Sylvia Grijalva (602) 510-7986, sylvia.grijalva@dot.gov
The Border and Interstate Planning Team has begun developing a list of Q&As on implementation of FAST Act requirements in Section 1437: Border State Infrastructure. The new legislation allows the governor of a State that shares a land border with Canada or Mexico to designate for each fiscal year not more than 5 percent of Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program funds made available to the State under section 133(d)(1)(B) of title 23, United States Code, for border infrastructure projects eligible under section 1303 of SAFETEA-LU, the Coordinated Border Infrastructure (CBI) Program.
Contact: Tricia Harr, Border & Interstate Planning Team Leader, (202) 366-9214, tricia.harr@dot.gov
Updated Memorandums of Cooperation (MOC) between USDOT/Transport Canada and USDOT/Secretariat of Communication and Transportation (SCT) are underway. The Border and Interstate Planning Team is updating and drafting the memos in coordination with the Office of Chief Council, the Office of International Programs, and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. The MOCs re-establish the intent to continue cooperation on binational transportation planning activities and strengthen transportation planning between the respective countries. The Canadian MOC was signed February 9, 2016, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Transport Minister Mark Garneau visited the White House for a summit on U.S.-Canadian policies and initiatives.
Contact: Tricia Harr, Border & Interstate Planning Team Leader (202) 366-9214, tricia.harr@dot.gov
USDOT, through the FHWA, along with Transport Canada and the Mexican Secretariat of Transportation and Communications, has initiated a study to develop U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada projections of freight and passenger volumes over the next 30 years from a regional border perspective.
The objectives of the study are to identify multimodal corridor and gateway needs, and opportunities to develop future national and binational infrastructure plans that will ensure U.S. and North American competitiveness. The study will look at North American multimodal transportation flows in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., and will also develop projections of binational population, business, and traffic numbers that can be used by each agency's planning efforts.
The proposed scenarios will be displayed in a visualization tool compatible with the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty GIS Planning Tool. The modeling process is underway and workshops will be held in Spring 2016 in Washington, DC; Ottawa, Canada; and Mexico City.
Contact: Tricia Harr, Border & Interstate Planning Team Leader, (202) 366-9214, tricia.harr@dot.gov
Launched in 2015 by AASHTO with FHWA's support, this website is a one-stop place for accessing the EconWorks Economic Analysis tools. This is a collection of web-based tools designed to help transportation planners incorporate economic analysis into early project planning and decision-making. EconWorks Case Studies is a database tool that currently contains 105 case studies of the economic and development impacts of highway projects, along with analysis tools for screening, viewing and analyzing them.
The Wider Economic Benefits Analysis Tools are downloadable spreadsheets useful for assessing reliability, accessibility, and intermodal connectivity benefits from transportation projects. The supporting user guides, related research reports and reference documents are also available on the website. Anyone willing to learn more about the economic analysis in transportation planning can take an online training course. Finally, visitors and tool users can share their experiences on the EconWorks Forum.
Contact: Valentin Vulov, (202) 493-0339, valentin.vulov@dot.gov
For more information: https://planningtools.transportation.org/13/econworks.html
A multidisciplinary USDOT research team developed a means to incorporate public health considerations into the traditional corridor planning steps. Intended to help transportation agencies identify when and how to consider public health, the Framework for Better Integrating Health into Transportation Decision-Making aids practitioners in identifying issues, suggests partnership strategies, and identifies data and tools needed to support these decisions. This new framework supports transportation practitioners motivated to incorporate health and illustrates to others how this is beneficial and achievable.
Contact: Victoria Martinez (787) 771-2524, victoria.martinez@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/health_in_transportation/planning_framework/
On January 19, 2016, a Planning on the Web (POW) session entitled "PlanWorks for Planners" was held to raise FHWA/FTA staff awareness of how PlanWorks can be applied into the everyday business of transportation planning, programming, corridor studies, and environmental review.
Along with a brief overview of how PlanWorks was developed, there was a live demonstration of PlanWorks, as well as presentations from three FHWA Division Offices on how PlanWorks is being used by State DOTs and MPOs. For those not able to participate in this POW session, the following web-link contains the recording.
Contact: Larry Anderson, (720) 963-3268, larry.anderson@dot.gov
For more information: https://connectdot.connectsolutions.com/tmipvirtualseminars/
FHWA partnered with State DOTs and MPOs to pilot approaches to conduct climate change and extreme weather vulnerability assessments of transportation infrastructure and to analyze options for adapting and improving resiliency. This pilot program was jointly sponsored by the FHWA Office of Environment, Planning, and Realty; and the Office of Infrastructure. FHWA will issue a final report on the pilot program in 2016.
The 19 projects were developed to test and build on FHWA's Climate Change and Extreme Weather Vulnerability Assessment Framework (December 2012). FHWA will use the experiences of the pilot projects to update and expand the framework. Each program project will include a four-page case study and a final report. Pilot teams also discussed preliminary results in peer exchanges and presented their results in a series of webinars.
Contact: Becky Lupes, (202) 366-7808, rebecca.lupes@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/climate_change/adaptation/resilience_pilots/2013-2015_pilots/index.cfm
Late last year, FHWA and BTS released the first product from the newest version of the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), the most comprehensive, publicly available data set of freight movement. FAF includes data on the amount and types of goods that move by land, sea, and air between large metropolitan areas, States and regions.
The new data showed an increase in the dollar value of goods moved on the transportation network. DOT also released the draft National Freight Strategic Plan, which offers specific policy proposals and solutions to address the growing challenges of moving freight in this country. The FAF data underscored the need for the plan. "A transportation network that can support the freight needs of this country is essential to a healthy economy," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. "The need for infrastructure investment is growing more urgent every day."
The new FAF estimates show that in 2012, nearly 17 billion tons of goods worth about $17.9 trillion moved on the transportation network. Trucks remain the most commonly used mode to move freight, transporting 64 percent of the weight and 71 percent of the value in 2012. "Freight on the Nation's transportation system has grown by almost a third since the low point during the recession in April 2009," BTS Director Patricia Hu said. "Today's release of the new FAF data is the first in a series of tools that will help officials at all levels of government plan for continued freight growth."
Contact: FHWA/Nancy Singer, (202) 366-4650, nancy.singer@dot.gov, or BTS/Dave Smallen, (202) 366-5568, david.smallen@dot.gov
For more information: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/ and http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/subject_areas/freight_transportation/faf
Connecticut DOT (CTDOT), along with State and local safety specialists, has formed a pilot program of pedestrian and bicycle safety assessments, available at no charge to all 169 municipalities that apply. This pilot is under the auspices of Community Connectivity, a new program within Let's Go CT!, Connecticut Governor Malloy's 30-year transportation initiative. The facility assessment part of the program is structured from the FHWA-led Road Safety Audit (RSA) training that took place in Connecticut in 2014. The process and products are based partly on a field assessment of pedestrian and bicycle safety that took place along State Route 82 in Norwich, CT, on May 6, 2015. This RSA was arranged by the Division Office in partnership with the CTDOT, as part of USDOT Secretary Foxx's Safer People, Safer Streets initiative.
Contact Patrick Zapatka, CTDOT, (860) 594-2047, patrick.zapatka@ct.gov
For more information: http://ctconnectivity.com
A Tribal Safety Champions Workshop hosted by the Southern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program Center and FHWA on November 17 and 18, 2015, focused on roadway departure crash mitigation strategies. The event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, also featured EDC safety-related innovations, including road diets, smarter work zones, high friction surface treatments, data-driven safety analysis and traffic incident management responder training. The workshop drew more than 100 participants from Tribal Nations and State and Federal agencies. Workshop partners included the Southern Plains Transportation Center, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The presentations are available on the website below.
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edcnews/12102015.cfm
Megaregions are networks of metropolitan centers and their surrounding areas, connected by environmental, economic, cultural, and infrastructure relationships. More than 70 percent of population growth, and 80 percent of economic growth, will occur in these closely linked metropolitan areas into the future.
FHWA supports these strategic collaborations through research and capacity building efforts such as EDC's Regional Models of Collaboration. To facilitate discussion, the FHWA Office of Planning is providing case studies, definitions, and data, recognizing that the definition of any given megaregion must reflect the reach of the larger strategic issues.
The team has developed six megaregion maps on HEPGIS (http://hepgis.fhwa.dot.gov/ displaying pertinent information related to demographics, economic activities, freight movements, congestions, and various flexible transportation planning boundaries.
Contact for Megaregion: James Garland, (202) 366-6221, james.garland@dot.gov, or Spencer Stevens, (202) 366-0149, spencer.stevens@dot.gov
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/megaregions
Contact for HEPGIS on Megaregion: Supin Yoder, (708) 283-3554, supin.yoder@dot.gov, or Brian Gardner, (202) 366-4061, brian.gardner@dot.gov
For more information: http://hepgis.fhwa.dot.gov/
The (FHWA) recently released the PEL Benefits: Measuring the Benefits of Planning and Environmental Linkages report to explore and document the benefits stemming from the incorporation of Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) strategies into State, regional, and local planning and project development processes. This report includes five case studies from across the country that detail five different implementations of PEL strategies and their attendant benefits. The case studies investigated two common PEL strategies: PEL studies and electronic screening tools. The most common benefits documented in the report include facilitation of the environmental review process, cost and time savings, and a flexible evaluation of alternatives.
Contact: Jared Fijalkowski, (617) 494-2092, jared.fijalkowski@dot.gov
For more information: https://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/env_initiatives/PEL.aspx
Shundreka R. Givan, AICP, a Senior Transportation Planning Specialist and shared resource for the FHWA Florida and Puerto Rico Division offices, has been selected as an Ambassador for the American Planning Association (APA) Ambassador Pilot Program. Ambassadors are active members of the APA who volunteer their time, experience, and talents to advance the public understanding of planning and promote the planning profession. Through this program, APA particularly hopes to reach future planners with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The APA Ambassador Program is a volunteer activity that requires a one-year commitment, during which each Ambassador conducts at least two outreach activities to the organization or school of their choice. Givan's personal commitment to the program is to expand the career options for youth, while exposing them to nontraditional career fields and teaching them the important role of Transportation Planners. Givan partnered with the YMCA Teen Achievers program to reach high school students from Orange County and Seminole County in Florida.
Contact: Shundreka Givan, (407) 867-6422, shundreka.givan@dot.gov
For more information: https://www.planning.org/diversity/ambassadors.htm
FTA issued a proposed rule for the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan and a notice of availability for the proposed National Public Transportation Safety Plan. Both the Agency Safety Plan proposed rule and the proposed National Safety Plan are statutory requirements first authorized by Congress in the MAP-21 Act in 2012 and reauthorized in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in 2015.
"FTA is making great progress in establishing the regulatory framework which will become the blueprint for the future of safety performance in public transit," said FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan. "Today's proposals are about setting safety performance criteria and targets, voluntary minimum safety standards, and a means to communicate safety issues industrywide." Public comments on both the Agency Safety Plan proposed rule and the proposed National Safety Plan must be received by April 5, 2016.
For more information: https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-guidance/notices/2016-02010
The FHWA, EPA, and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation are partnering with the Governors' Institute on Community Design to develop a Performance Measurement Guidebook and two Performance Measurement Workshops that will provide State DOTs and MPOs with performance measures focused on connectivity, multimodal, and livability outcomes.
The guidebook will provide State DOTs and MPOs with the state of the practice in performance management, including what measures are being used and how they are being implemented in the context of their daily work. The guidebook will be completed by the end of 2016 and the workshops will be held in May and July.
Contact: Wesley Blount (202) 366-0799, wesley.blount@dot.gov
A recent report by Volpe experts identifies emerging technologies and innovative applications that may have significant impacts on our transportation systems within three to five years. The resource, 2015 OST-R Transportation Technology Scan: A Look Ahead, identifies 11 technological advances and innovative concepts - along with their associated benefits, challenges, and risks - that could fundamentally alter the transportation landscape:
"Advances in just the past decade have dramatically changed the way Americans travel and deliver goods, and the pace of change is something we cannot dictate," writes DOT Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Gregory Winfree in the report's foreword. "This is why we must be proactive and look to new technologies that have clear applications for transportation. However, new technologies can also introduce new risks, and we must anticipate the full range of potential impacts."
For more information: https://www.volpe.dot.gov/news/11-emerging-technologies-could-have-major-impacts-transportation
Historically, investment in transportation by States has generated a tremendous Nationwide economic payoff. Building the Interstate System, for example, created a firm foundation for decades of economic growth. Today, however, changing economic opportunities are driving a new set of transportation needs. Transportation practitioners in every State face the challenge of finding compelling ways to engage their stakeholders on the economic importance of making the next generation of investments that will sustain America's prosperity.
This NCHRP-funded study was originally scoped as a series of narrative case studies - detailed written reports - each describing the role and value of transportation in a selected industry sector.
In seeking to deliver on the study's promise of sharing insights that reach beyond a narrow, technically-minded audience, however, the project reimagines "case studies" as concise and engaging stories built around people and data. The case studies provide ideas for a new communication palette that agencies can use as they pursue revenue-raising initiatives, long-range transportation plans, or mega-project public involvement campaigns, where practitioners need novel ways to communicate with broad audiences about the new generation of investments that will sustain America's prosperity.
Rather than producing only a traditional print or PDF report, this NCHRP study comprises a website with short stories, told not only in a printable "case study" factsheet format, but also told with web-video and infographics. The stories are designed to show how transportation is intimately linked with some of today's most interesting and compelling economic transformations in technology, global markets and demographics, and how these connections are creating new kinds of transportation needs across America.
Every State or region will have its own stories about the new generation of transportation needs as our Nation's economy transforms. While the stories presented here will make sense in many regions of the country, their primary purpose is to provide inspiration for transportation leaders, engineers and planners seeking fresh and compelling ways to talk about the importance of transportation investment to America's future prosperity, and ultimately to encourage individual agencies to create their own versions.
For more information: http://www.trb.org/main/blurbs/173820.aspx
The U.S. EPA approved the EMFAC2014 emissions model for State Implementation Plan (SIP) and conformity purposes, effective December 14, 2015. The new model, which is based on new and improved data, calculates air pollution emissions factors for passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles, motor homes, and buses. EMFAC2014 must be used for all new regional emissions analyses and carbon monoxide and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) hot-spot analyses for transportation conformity purposes that are started on or after December 14, 2017.
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/air_quality/conformity/highlights/high0116.cfm
The State of Virginia has successfully completed their first cycle of the State's House Bill 2 (HB2) project prioritization process. This law improved transparency and accountability when selecting transportation projects for funding. Projects were scored based on an objective analysis applied Statewide. Project screening criteria were developed from their Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan VTrans 2040, as well as factor areas and performance measures. This is a statewide effort to relate performance-based planning to programming. The public will know how projects scored and the decisions behind the Commonwealth Transportation Board's project selections.
For more information: http://www.virginiahb2.org/about/default.asp
In February the State of Illinois entered its eighth month without a budget for State fiscal year 2016, which began July 1, 2015. The governor and the State House and Senate have been at an impasse over the State's spending plan. During the impasse, the FHWA has been directly reimbursing the 16 Illinois MPOs with metropolitan planning (PL) funds. This is because the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) does not have the authority to pay the MPOs during the impasse. In addition, FTA transferred their planning funds to FHWA so that FHWA could also reimburse the MPOs on behalf of FTA. Upon conclusion of the budget impasse, the reimbursement process will revert back to IDOT.
Contact: Jon-Paul Kohler (217) 492-4988, jon-paul.kohler@dot.gov, or Chris Hall (217) 492-4610, christopher.j.hall@dot.gov
The Colorado Department of Transportation published a revision of their original 2012 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Handbook. This handbook focuses on guidance for using information developed during project planning through National Environmental Policy Act reviews. The revised handbook reflects the experience the Colorado DOT has gained in conducting a variety of PEL studies on transportation projects since it first published the PEL handbook in 2012. The agency is also developing a training course on conducting time- and money-saving PEL studies.
Contact: Aaron Bustow, (720) 963-3022, aaron.bustow@dot.gov
For more information: https://www.codot.gov/programs/environmental/planning-env-link-program/pel-handbook-january-2016/view
NEPA and the Transportation Decisionmaking Process
Public Involvement in the Transportation Decisionmaking Process
Highway Program Funding
Designing Pedestrian Safety
Highway Program Funding
Highway Program Funding
NEPA and the Transportation Decisionmaking Process
For more information and to register for a course: http://www.ntionline.com/courses/ or for a course catalog: https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/searchResults.cfm?branchid=67
National Transit Database (Urban Reporting)
Risk Assessment for Transit Capital Projects
Title VI and Public Transit
Orientation to Transit Procurement National Transit Institute
Using the Transit Economic Requirements Model (TERM Lite)
Introduction to Transit Asset Management
Introduction to Transit Service Planning
Orientation to Transit Procurement
Assessment and Basic Cost or Price Analysis
For information on meetings and conferences, go to: http://www.apta.com/mc/Pages/default.aspx
Bus & Paratransit Conference
Risk Management Seminar
Rail Conference
Sustainability & Public Transportation Workshop
TMIP Webinar on Strategic Modeling: Webinar 3 - VisionEval Model System for Strategic Planning Models
4/7/16 2:00 PM
Participants do not need to preregister to attend the webinar. You can log on to the webinar at: https://connectdot.connectsolutions.com/tmipvirtualseminars/
The teleconference number: (888) 675-2535, participant passcode: 8344566
For more information: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/community/webinars/
Guidance on Travel and Land Use Forecasting in NEPA (internal DOT staff only)
If you have suggestions for LTP sessions, contact Rae Keasler, (202) 366-0329, rae.keasler@dot.gov.
Introduction of the Transportation in Health Tool
For more information: https://collaboration.fhwa.dot.gov/dot/fhwa/WC/Lists/Seminars/DispForm.aspx?ID=962
Contact: Rae Keasler, (202) 366-0329, rae.keasler@dot.gov
For more information: https://www.planning.org/events/
Safe Route to School National Conference
Community Vitality and Placemaking
Form-Based Zoning: Not your Grandfather's Approach
Be Project Ready: Go from Opportunistic to Strategic Green Infrastructure
2016 Planning Law Review
Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities
NATMEC: Improving Traffic Data Collection, Analysis and Use 2016
6th Transportation Research Board Conference on Innovations in Travel Modeling (ITM)
15th Annual Conference on Managed Lanes
Second International Symposium on Disaster Prevention & Mitigation of Highway Infrastructure
AASHTO ROW/Utilities Conference/NAHBA Conference Real Estate
National Walk & Bike to School Day 2016
International Right of Way Association: 2016 Annual International Education Conference
NADO 2016 Annual Training Conference
| Darla Hugaboom | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Robert Dirks | Indiana |
| Chandra Inglis-Smith | West Virginia |
| Mary Forlenza | Wisconsin |
| Fleming El-Amin | Washington, DC |
The Transportation Planning Update is published three times a year according to the following schedule:
We welcome your submissions. We can accept articles, announcements and other relevant materials up to two months prior to the publication month. Please submit your contributions to:
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit the calendars posted on the following websites for upcoming transportation events:
FTA: www.transit.dot.gov
FHWA Planning, Environment and Realty: www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/calendar/
FHWA Resource Center: www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/calendar/
Transportation Research Board: www.trb.org/Calendar
NOTICE: The information and articles in this newsletter are for your information and do not necessarily constitute policy positions of the Federal Highway Administration or Federal Transit Administration. The mention of commercial products, their source or their use in connection with material reported herein is not to be construed as either an actual or implied endorsement of such products.
