Evaluation Methods and Techniques: Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program

Appendix B: Annual Report Template

The purpose of this template is to assist grantees in preparing uniform annual reports. This template, while not required, is highly recommended, as the Federal Highway Administration intends to use the information from the grantees’ annual reports in the required annual report on the effectiveness of the ATCMTD grant recipients in meeting their projected deployment plans.

Reporting Requirement:

23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(F) says "That for each eligible entity that receives a grant under this paragraph, not later than 1 year after the entity receives the grant, and every year thereafter, the entity shall submit a report to the Secretary that describes:

Deployment and operational costs of the project compared to the benefits and savings the project provides; and
how the project has met the original expectations projected in the deployment plan submitted with the application, such as—
1. data on how the project has helped reduce traffic crashes, congestion, costs, and other benefits of the deployed systems;
2. data on the effect of measuring and improving transportation system performance through the deployment of advanced technologies;
3. the effectiveness of providing real-time integrated traffic, transit, and multimodal transportation information to the public to make informed travel decisions; and
4. lessons learned and recommendations for future deployment strategies to optimize transportation efficiency and multimodal system performance."

This template has 4 parts:

Part 1 of 4: Introduction and Overview
Part 2 of 4: Evaluation/Research Activities
Part 3 of 4: Findings
Part 4 of 4: Wrap up

PART 1 of 4: Introduction and Overview

Project Title:

Grant Award Recipient:

Annual Report Period [insert date range]:

Prepared by: [name, agency and title]

NOTE: Responses to questions 1 through 3 should reflect current project scope and goals. If there have been no changes in project scope or goals (since the last Annual Report), responses to questions 1 through 3 should be the same as the previous Annual Report.

Please provide a high-level description of your project, including intended beneficiaries. (Please limit to approximately 350 words or less.) Note: in Part 4 of 4, Q 1, you will be asked to note any major deviations or changes in scope due to either project-driven outcomes or other unforeseen challenges.
Please indicate which ATCMTD-targeted technologies your project covers (Check all that apply).
◻ Advanced traveler information systems

◻ Advanced transportation management technologies

◻ Infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition assessment

◻ Advanced public transportation systems

◻ Transportation system performance (monitoring) data collection, analysis and dissemination

◻ Advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, autonomous vehicle development or deployment, and associated technologies that would enable V2V or V2I, including cellular or other technology

◻ Integration of intelligent transportation systems using Smart Grid or similar energy distribution and charging systems

◻ Electronic pricing and payment systems

◻ Advanced mobility and access technologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and information systems to support human services for elderly, disabled, or disenfranchised individuals.

◻ Other (Describe)
What are your project’s goals? (Check all that apply.) Note: For each goal identified, you will be asked in Part 2 and Part 3 to map your project’s "Performance Measures" and "Findings" to date, respectively.
◻ Improved safety

◻ Reduced congestion and/or improved mobility (e.g., travel time reliability)

◻ Reduced environmental impacts (e.g., emissions and /or energy)

◻ Improved system performance/optimized multimodal system performance

◻ Enhanced access to transportation options

◻ Effectiveness of providing integrated real-time transportation information to the public to make informed travel decisions

◻ Reduced costs

◻ Institutional or administrative benefits (e.g., increased inter-agency coordination)

◻ Other benefits (please specify: _______________________________________)

◻ Other goals (please specify: _________________________________________)

Part 2 of 4: Evaluation/Research Activities

Please complete the following table regarding your evaluation activities. For each goal area that is applicable to your project, provide the performance measures (PMs) and a status update on your research activities. The update should include the status of baseline data collection (if applicable) and any challenges or data limitations. If research is completed, please indicate that here in Part 2, but please reserve "Findings" for Part 3.

Goal Area	Performance Measures - Quantitative and Qualitative (if multiple technologies apply, please note the different technologies)	Research Update (e.g., baseline data collection, challenges, milestones achieved, etc.)
Improved Safety (e.g., reduced crashes)	Etc.
Reduced Congestion/Improved mobility (e.g., travel time reliability)	Etc.
Reduced environmental impacts	Etc.
Improved System performance (including optimized multimodal system performance)	Etc.
Enhanced Access to Transportation Alternatives	Etc.
Effectiveness of providing integrated real-time transportation information to the public to make Informed travel decisions	Etc.
Reduced costs	Etc.
Institutional or administrative benefits	Etc.
Other benefits: Please specify:
Other benefits: Please specify:
Other goals: [ADD IF NEEDED] Please specify:

PART 3 of 4: Findings

For each applicable goal area, please describe the impacts of your project based on findings from the performance measures. If data collection is still underway (i.e., findings are not yet available), indicate "In Progress" in the Findings column. Please use the "Notes/Considerations" column to include any other relevant information regarding the evaluation. Note: the numbering for the Findings should correspond to the numbering used for Performance Measures in Part 2.

Goal Area	Findings (tied to performance measures; also include any anecdotal evidence)	Notes/Considerations
Improved Safety (e.g., reduced crashes)	Etc.
Reduced Congestion/Improved mobility (e.g., travel time reliability)	Etc.
Reduced environmental impacts	Etc.
Improved System performance (including optimized multimodal system performance)	Etc.
Enhanced Access to Transportation Alternatives	Etc.
Effectiveness of providing integrated real-time transportation information to the public to make informed decisions	Etc.
Reduced costs	Etc.
Institutional and/or administrative benefits	Etc.
Other benefits: Please specify:	Etc.
Other benefits: Please specify:	Etc.
Other goals: [ADD IF NEEDED] Please specify:	Etc.

Part 4 of 4: Wrap Up

1. In your view, how is the project doing with respect to meeting original expectations (i.e., as stated in the project proposal)? Note here any major deviations or changes in scope from the original proposal due to either project-driven outcomes or other unforeseen challenges; e.g., unavailability of presumed data, unforeseen legal or administrative constraints, unexpected stumbling blocks, obvious delays, time-consuming tasks, or executive decisions to alter course.

2. Are there any aspects of your project that you consider cutting edge, noteworthy, or innovative? If yes, please describe.

3. How do deployment and operational costs of the project compare to the benefits and savings the project provides; i.e., can you provide an objective Benefit Cost analysis (BCA) or alternate subjective comparison?

4. What are lessons learned to date from your deployment, specifically regarding future deployment strategies to optimize transportation efficiency and multimodal system performance? Please note lessons learned with respect to challenges in technology deployment (e.g., technical, institutional, etc.), research (e.g., performance measurement), or other lessons learned.

5. What recommendations can you provide regarding future deployment strategies in this/these area(s)?

6. Do you have any final comments or feedback?

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