An Agency Guide on Overcoming Unique Challenges to Localized Congestion Reduction Projects

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FHWA's Bottleneck Reduction Initiative Program
Office of Operations

Federal Highway Administration
Office of Transportation Management (HOTM)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

www.fhwa.dot.gov

September 2011
FHWA-HOP-11-034

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names may appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

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Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. FHWA-HOP-11-034		2. Government Accession No.	3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle An Agency Guide on Overcoming Unique Challenges to Localized Congestion Reduction Projects			5. Report Date September 2011
			6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s) Scott A. Cooner, Stephen E. Ranft (Texas Transportation Institute) and Carol Zimmerman (Battelle)			8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Battelle 505 King Avenue Columbus, OH 43201			10. Work Unit No.
			11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-06-D-00007
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration			13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report September 2010 – September 2011
			14. Sponsoring Agency Code HOTM
15. Supplementary Notes Neil Spiller (COTM), FHWA Office of Operations
16. Abstract FHWA’s Localized Bottleneck Reduction Initiative (LBR) program focuses attention on mitigating the operational causes of recurring congestion “hot spots” (i.e., traffic bottlenecks) at ramps, merges, lane drops, intersections, weaves, etc. One of the efforts of the LBR program is to encourage agencies to adopt a defined, “named” annualized spot-congestion program in the same manner that they might have an annualized spot-safety program for high crash locations. This document was developed to provide guidance to state and local transportation personnel on how to overcome barriers and challenges to implementation of localized congestion relief projects. It presents and describes examples of institutional, design, funding and safety challenges that agencies face when trying to develop unique solutions to localized congestion problems. The main questions that this guidance helps an agency address are: What are the most common barriers and challenges with addressing localized congestion problems? What are some case study examples that highlight how barriers and challenges were overcome? What are some of the key factors in successful implementation of localized bottleneck projects? The document also presents nine detailed case studies of projects and programs that illustrate how to overcome common barriers and challenges. The case studies were chosen to highlight agencies that have implemented effective projects in a unique and praiseworthy fashion. The final section provides some high-level guidance and practical ideas on how to implement successful solutions to localized congestion problems based on experience and information gathered during this project.
17. Key Words Bottleneck, chokepoint, recurring congestion, operations		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	21. No. of Pages 67	22. Price N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Executive Summary
• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 Purpose of the Guidance Document
  • 1.2 How to Use this Document
  • 1.3 Background
  • 1.4 Localized Bottleneck Reduction Program
• 2.0 Common Barriers and Challenges to Localized Congestion Projects
  • 2.1 Background
  • 2.2 Barrier/Challenge Categories
  • 2.3 Institutional Barriers and Challenges
  • 2.4 Design-Based Barriers and Challenges
  • 2.5 Funding Barriers and Challenges
  • 2.6 Safety-Related Barriers and Challenges
• 3.0 Case Studies of Successful Programs and Projects
  • 3.1 Overview of Case Study Process
  • 3.2 Case Study Matrix
  • 3.3 Detailed Case Studies
  • 3.4 Arkansas Case Study
  • 3.5 California Case Study
  • 3.6 Louisiana Case Study
  • 3.7 Maryland Case Study
  • 3.8 Michigan Case Study
  • 3.9 Minnesota Case Studies
  • 3.10 Missouri Case Study
  • 3.11 Texas Case Study
• 4.0 Guidelines for Successful Localized Bottleneck Reduction Projects
  • 4.1 Overview of Guidance
  • 4.2 Guidance For Successful Localized Bottleneck Reduction Projects
• APPENDIX A CASE STUDY FACT SHEETS
• APPENDIX B TABLE 8 INFORMATIONAL LINKS

LIST OF TABLES

• Table 1. Common Locations for Localized Bottlenecks.
• Table 2. Common Causes for Localized Bottlenecks.
• Table 3. Bottleneck Barrier and Challenge Categories.
• Table 4. Common Institutional Barrier and Challenges.
• Table 5. Common Design-Based Barriers and Challenges.
• Table 6. Common Funding Barriers and Challenges.
• Table 7. Common Safety-Related Barriers and Challenges.
• Table 8. Overcoming Challenges Matrix.
• Table 9. Overview of Detailed Case Studies.
• Table 10. Synopsis of Operation Bottleneck – Dave Ward Drive/Donaghey Road Case Study.
• Table 11. Synopsis of I-580/US-101 Connector Ramp Restriping Case Study.
• Table 12. Synopsis of the US-90 near the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans Case Study.
• Table 13. Synopsis of the Baltimore City Gateway Signal Optimization Case Study.
• Table 14. Synopsis of I-75/M-81 Interchange Reconfiguration Case Study.
• Table 15. Synopsis of I-94 Lane Modification near Lowry Tunnel Case Study.
• Table 16. Synopsis of TH-100 at St. Louis Park Project Case Study.
• Table 17. Outcome of Missouri DOT Organizational Change to Practical Design Concept.
• Table 18. Synopsis of I-44/Route 13 Diverging Diamond Interchange Case Study.
• Table 19. Summary of Seven Bottleneck Removal Projects in Austin, Texas.
• Table 20. Evaluation of Thirteen Texas Bottleneck Projects – Mostly in Dallas-Fort Worth.
• Table 21. Synopsis of Texas Low-Cost Freeway Bottleneck Removal Projects Case Study.

LIST OF FIGURES

• Figure 1. Pie Chart. Sources of Traffic Congestion.
• Figure 2. Graphic. The Endless Pursuit of Congestion Relief.
• Figure 3. Graphic. Florida DOT Tests New Merge Pattern Prior to Permanent Implementation.