U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| SUMMARY REPORT |
| This summary report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
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| Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-071 Date: August 2016 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-071 Date: August 2016 |
In 2009, the FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program began investigating the use of agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) techniques for transportation modeling, simulating, planning, and policy purposes. To date, FHWA has sponsored three projects investigating this topic: Driver Behavior in Traffic; Evolutionary Agent System for Transportation Outlook (VASTO); and Agent-Based Approach for Integrated Driver and Traveler Behavior Modeling.(47,48,49)
The Volpe evaluation team will evaluate EAR agent-based modeling activities to assess their effectiveness in meeting intended goals and outcomes.
The team identified three research questions, each with specific research questions, including:
The Volpe evaluation team will monitor and assess relevant ABMS literature, including using citation analysis to determine the effect of EAR-funded work on ABMS tools and techniques. The evaluation team will also conduct interviews with Federal and non-Federal stakeholders who can speak to the outcomes and impacts of the EAR-funded work. Data collection activities will culminate in analysis performed by the evaluation team and a final report delivered to EAR program, R&T, and FHWA management.
While the projects model different activities, they all seek to further the state of the art of agent-based modeling in transportation. For this reason, the evaluation will consist of a single evaluation plan with similar logic model, goals, and measures to cover the three projects, evaluating Driver Behavior in Traffic retrospectively and the others prospectively.(47)
The final evaluation plan was delivered May 2016. Data collection has begun and the team anticipates completing the draft report March 2017.
Developed by a team of representatives from FHWA and seven other Federal agencies, Eco-Logical articulates a vision for an infrastructure development process that endorses ecosystem-based mitigation through integrating plans and data across agency and disciplinary boundaries. Following Eco-Logical’s initial development as a guidebook, Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) funds were used to create specific tools and techniques to implement Eco-Logical practices at State DOTs and other planning agencies. FHWA has funded 2 rounds of pilot projects through the Eco-Logical Grant Program in 2007 and the current SHRP2 implementation assistance grant program that is funding 14 Lead Adopter and User Incentive grants nationwide.(50,51)
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of Eco-Logical in meeting intended goals and outcomes, including understanding the effect of FHWA R&T activities on the implementation of the Eco-Logical approach (i.e. ecosystem-based infrastructure planning and mitigation) to transportation project delivery by State DOTs and MPOs.
The evaluation team has developed two overarching research questions, each with subquestions and hypotheses:
The evaluation team has identified measures of effectiveness, potential data inputs, and preferred data sources for each research question. The effect on adoption will be investigated through a review of Eco-Logical program materials and interviews with State DOT and MPO recipients of funding under the program. Evaluators will also consider using recipients’ agency-specific documents (memorandums of understanding (MOUs), programmatic agreements, agency procedures, plans, or project documentation). The effect on project delivery will be investigated through interviews to determine whether Eco-Logical helps agencies mitigate projects in a different way or whether the approach has led to better mitigation projects. The evaluation team plans to analyze data in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Regulatory In-lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System (RIBITS) with the goal to identify trends in practitioner use of in-lieu fees and mitigation banking over time, which are some of the later steps of the nine-step Eco-Logical approach.(52)
The final evaluation plan was submitted January 2016. A draft report will be delivered August 2016.
Rapid renewal projects are transportation design and construction projects intended to minimize delivery schedule and construction disruption. The Guide for the Process of Managing risk on Rapid Renewal Projects (R09) is a SHRP2 product written to provide a framework for managing risk on such products.(53) The guide proposes an iterative risk management process: defining a base project scenario, identifying risks, assessing risks, analyzing risk, and planning and implementing risk management. Training was also developed for DOT facilitators to use the process on small projects.
The purpose of this evaluation is to identify and track internal changes to risk management policy in State DOTs and adoption of the R09 guidebook processes following risk workshops and other implementation assistance developed and provided by FHWA.
Evaluation areas include:
The evaluation will focus on the four State DOTs that received lead adopter implementation assistance grants through round 2 of the SHRP2 implementation assistance program (IAP): Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.(54) The specific changes will vary by State, so the evaluation will attempt to measure outcomes both common among all projects and unique to individual projects. Options include following specific projects using the R09 process to identify schedule and cost changes attributable to risk management. Detailed data sources and methods will be determined in collaboration with the sponsor.
The last IAP grants were awarded in 2014 and close out in 2016. A revised preliminary evaluation plan was submitted in April 2016 and a final evaluation plan is expected in July of 2016. A draft report is expected by the end of December 2017.
In October 2008, FHWA established the Office of Innovative Program Delivery, which launched the Public-Private Partnership (P3) Toolkit in June 2013.(55) The P3 Toolkit is an educational resource consisting of analytical tools and guidance documents to assist public sector policymakers, legislative and executive staff, and transportation professionals in implementing P3 projects. The P3 Toolkit forms the foundation of a broader P3 capacity building program that includes a curriculum of courses and webinars. The toolkit contains fact sheets, publications (e.g., primers and guidebooks), analytical tools (e.g., spreadsheet-based calculation tools), webinars, training materials, a P3-SCREEN checklist, and frequently asked questions. The evaluation will cover the use of resources added by the Office of Innovative Program Delivery to the P3 Toolkit through December 31, 2015. The goal of the P3 Toolkit is to build State DOT capacity for choosing public-private partnerships appropriately and executing them well; it is not to promote the use of more public-private partnerships in general.
The purpose of the evaluation is to understand how the toolkit influences user decisions and actions regarding implementation of public-private partnerships.
The team identified three research questions, each with specific research questions, including:
This prospective evaluation will focus only on resources developed from the launch of the toolkit through publication of the model contract guide and be based on existing P3 data and literature. The evaluation plan will set a specified year through which to answer the research questions.
The draft evaluation plan was submitted in March 2016 and a final evaluation plan will be submitted June 2016. The evaluation team anticipates submitting a draft report in December 2016.
Precast Concrete Pavement (PCP) is the practice of using prefabricated concrete panels for pavement and roadway maintenance and rehabilitation. This practice can be utilized in high traffic volume areas and in marginal weather. Over the last 10 to 15 years, FHWA has led multiple research efforts, demonstrations, technical briefings, and technology refinements related to PCP, which has been incorporated as Project R05 within SHRP2.(56) Project R05 is within the renewal focus area, which concentrates on “enabling faster, minimally-disruptive, and longer-lasting improvements.”(51)
Existing research suggests PCP provides time savings and other advantages, but these have not been quantified. Additionally, while cost information is known, it is unknown to what extent the advantages of PCP exceed the costs—if at all—compared to alternatives.
The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the benefits and costs of PCP projects individually and, where possible, to identify more general themes related to benefits and costs. The evaluation will also determine the outcomes and impacts of FHWA research, demonstrations, workshops, and related activities in the context of SHRP2 Project R05.
The team identified three eavaluation areas, each with specific research questions, including:
To complete this evaluation, the Volpe team proposes using benefit-cost analysis on individual PCP projects, interviews with staff members in State agencies who have conducted PCP projects, and a review of documents. Phase 1 will include IAP round three awardees and routine users, while phase 2 will add IAP round six users.
The evaluation team will submit a draft evaluation plan in December 2015 and a final evaluation plan in June 2016. The Phase 1 draft report will be ready in December 2016 and final report in February 2017. The phase 2 draft and final reports will be completed in December 2017 and February 2018.
FHWA developed the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program to promote a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to restoring traffic capacity as quickly and safely as possible.(57) Through its TIM Program, FHWA provides guidance, doctrine, training, and peer-to-peer and other knowledge exchanges. TIM research and outreach efforts are designed to help transportation agencies, such as safety services patrols and traffic management center personnel, understand, plan for, and implement traffic incident response operations better.
The purpose of this evaluation will be determined in collaboration with the sponsor. It will likely include assessing the extent to which the TIM training program has achieved its intended outcomes and impacts, including a reduction in the duration of traffic incidents, reduction in secondary crashes, and increase in passenger/vehicle throughput.
The evaluation areas, questions, and hypotheses will be determined in collaboration with the sponsor.
The evaluation will consist of an assessment of two to five sites that have participated in the SHRP2-sponsored TIM training program. Measures of effectiveness will likely include a reduction in the duration of traffic incidents, reduction in secondary crashes, and increase in passenger/vehicle throughput. Data sources and methods will be determined in collaboration with the sponsor.
Preliminary discussions with FHWA have identified a range of evaluation approaches and data collection sites. The evaluation team has assigned a project manager to this evaluation. The team has also enumerated potential data elements to guide site selection. A kickoff call with FHWA will be scheduled. The projected date for other deliverables will subsequently be determined.
