Planning and Programming
State of the Art
Available prediction/analysis tools are user-friendly and readily adapted to the local construction site and situation. These tools can accurately analyze and reliably predict congestion situations including travel times, queue length, travel speed, total delay, crash rates, severity levels, and interactive feedback to both the design and construction team.
A corridor approach is used in evaluating, planning,
and programming. This process gives full consideration to long-range
corridor needs, traffic demands, road-user costs, potential business
community impacts, use of extended designs and high-performance materials,
and overall evaluation of total costs for the life of the improvement.
To achieve state-of-the-art planning and programming, transportation
agencies would need to:
- Optimize the grouping and sequencing of long-range
corridor improvements (capacity, structural, operational, and system
preservation) into projects which minimize traffic delays, reduce
the exposure to motorist and workers, as well as provide for the safe,
efficient travel needs of today and for future generations.
- Routinely program systems preservation, including
dedicated funds to provide for planned preventive maintenance treatments
performed at the right time.
- Integrate work zone traffic management principles
into the FHWA planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
processes.
- Utilize cross-cutting and multi-agency teams to develop
corridor traffic management plans.
- Give full consideration to road-user costs and impacts to affected business and residential communities in the selection of the corridor TMP.
Conduct public relations campaigns that inform the public and involve them in the selection of corridor TMPs.
