Advancing Metropolitan Planning For Operations

Set Objectives | Measure Progress | See Results

Contact Information: Operations Feedback at OperationsFeedback@dot.gov.

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A Foundation of Regional Objectives

Safe, efficient, and reliable transportation requires planning for and investing in regional strategies to manage and operate the multimodal transportation system. An objectives-driven, performance-based approach can help your region:

• Fully integrate operations into the planning process
• Maximize transportation system performance
• Focus on specific, measurable outcomes
• Make planning and investment decisions based on performance measures and data
• Collaborate productively among agencies, jurisdictions, and modes

Advancing Metropolitan Planning for Operations: The Building Blocks of a Model Transportation Plan Incorporating Operations – A Desk Reference is designed to support transportation planners and their partners in applying the objectives-driven, performance-based approach to planning for operations.

Hundreds of Ideas to Get You Started

The Desk Reference contains more than 200 examples of customizable operations objectives that can be incorporated into transportation planning documents.

One-page fact sheets link these sample objectives to performance measures, data needs, M&O strategies, and possible safety impacts in the following categories:

• System efficiency
• System reliability
• System options
• Arterial management
• Emergency/incident management
• Freeway management
• Freight management
• Special event management
• Transit operations and management
• Travel demand management
• Travel weather management
• Traveler information
• Work zone management

To help planners understand how objectives can be applied, the Desk Reference also features important excerpts of a model metropolitan transportation plan.

How Can the Desk Reference Help Build Operations into Your Transportation Plan?

Management and Operations Strategies to Improve Efficiency, Reliability, and Options

The fact sheets and cross-reference table can help you explore, find, and understand M&O strategies.

Operations Objectives

The objectives summary table has a comprehensive list of operations objectives for many planning scenarios.

Operations Objectives by Operations Area

The cross-reference table lists the fact sheets and objectives associated with each operations area.

Operations Objectives by Transportation Mode

The cross-reference table lists fact sheets and objectives for each transportation mode.

Performance Measures and Data Needed to Track an Operations Objective

The objectives summary table and fact sheets provide information on how to measure progress on objectives.

Model Multimodal Transportation Plan

The model metropolitan transportation plan excerpts in Section 4 illustrate how a complete transportation plan can make flexible use of M&O objectives.

More Information About the Objectives-Driven, Performance-Based Approach

Sections 1 and 2 define and describe this approach to aid in implementation.

References and Resources

Section 5 lists additional sources of information and assistance.

 

Download the Desk Reference today at:

https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10027/index.htm

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20590
Toll-Free "Help Line" 866-367-7487

http://www.plan4operations.dot.gov
Publication No.: FHWA-HOP-10-060