Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies
Table of Contents

Applying Transportation Systems Management and Operations to Rural Areas

Chapter 1. Introduction

Background

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) works with State and local agencies to improve safety, mobility, and reliability, and to enhance transportation systems management and operations (TSMO). TSMO involves the use of strategies, technologies, mobility services, and programs to optimize the safe, efficient, and reliable use of the existing transportation infrastructure without adding capacity. Although many TSMO strategies have predominantly been applied in urban areas, some have also been applied in rural areas.

Because of their low densities and sometimes remote locations, rural areas can experience unique and challenging conditions, such as:

  • Rural areas usually consist of larger geographical areas, which accounts for longer trip durations.
  • Crashes in rural areas usually occur at higher speeds than crashes in urban areas.
  • Rural areas have a high number of one- or two-lane roads, which may experience disruptions caused by accidents and slow-moving agricultural vehicles. According to FHWA, 90 percent of rural roads are one or two lanes.1
  • Rural areas and the rural transportation network provide few alternate routes.
  • Rural distances and large geographical areas lead to longer emergency response times, which affects motorists or citizens who need emergency response.
  • Many rural roads are made of gravel and dirt, which may make them unpassable in bad weather and a potential safety hazard.
  • Rural areas usually provide challenging driving conditions such as steep mountain grades, steep drop-offs, sharp curves, trees close to the roadway, and narrow bridges.
  • Rural areas have telecommunications gaps due to the lack of power and infrastructure deployed. Telecommunications capabilities, where available, can be spotty and less dependable.
  • Evacuating traffic from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding, can be more challenging in rural environments.
  • Avalanches in rural areas disrupt transportation on roadway networks and are a safety hazard for the travelling public.
  • Collisions between animals and vehicles and the presence of animals on the roadsides are common safety issues encountered in rural areas. Several States have deployed animal warning systems to reduce the number of collisions between animals and vehicles.

For the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau defines an urban area as a territory with more than 2,000 housing units or 5,000 people, while rural areas encompass all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area.2 Based on 2010 Census data, 97 percent of the Nation’s land is estimated to be rural3 and 70 percent of the Nation’s road network is also estimated to be rural.4 Posted bridges or weight-limited bridges are also a concern in rural areas; 90 percent of posted bridges are in rural areas, and heavy trucks are prohibited from crossing posted bridges. Heavy trucks hauling in rural areas traverse three times the distance as needed in metropolitan areas in order to find a safe bridge to cross.5

TSMO can be applied to all modes of transportation:

  • Private and commercial vehicles encounter congestion on an irregular basis in rural areas. Work zones, crashes, and large weather events are typical nonrecurring events that can cause congestion. Although high levels of congestion in rural areas may be less frequent compared to urban areas, they are no less disruptive to daily lives. For instance, nonrecurring congestion can create the potential for unexpected and lengthy delays, long detours, increased emergency response times, and severe crashes, which can be detrimental to freight and rural communities that rely more heavily on vehicles for travel. TSMO strategies can be applied in rural areas to help reduce congestion as well as crash incidence and severity.
  • Public transit is less prevalent in rural areas. While providing transportation services to large, low-density areas can be challenging, it gives an option to individuals in rural areas who cannot drive due to health or economic reasons but require transportation to work, shopping, healthcare, and education.
  • Pedestrians and bicyclists can find the rural roadway environment challenging. Vehicle speeds are generally higher in rural areas and pedestrian and bicyclists are fewer, so drivers are less likely to expect them. Shoulders on rural roadways are often either too narrow or nonexistent. Roadway signs may impede the safe passage of pedestrians and bicyclists or obstruct their ability to see oncoming traffic. Pedestrians may walk within the traffic flow. Bicyclists and pedestrians may not wear protective gear or reflective clothing and may be more difficult to see if lighting is reduced in rural areas. Having dedicated facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians can provide a stable surface off the roadway and can reduce crashes of these travelers that would normally travel along the roadway in addition to providing access to natural and recreational areas.6

Document Objectives

The FHWA initiated this project to enhance TSMO strategies in rural areas and facilitate discussion among practitioners. This publication explores using TSMO strategies in rural areas and identifies case studies that showcase opportunities for deployment in other rural areas. The objectives of this document are to:

  • Synthesize the state of TSMO practice in rural areas through a scan of ongoing research and recent publications.
  • Share successful prior uses of TSMO in rural areas that may be more widely applicable.
  • Showcase emerging technologies that offer promise in expanding TSMO strategies in rural areas.
  • Highlight funding opportunities available for rural areas, which are presented in the appendix.

Entities that may benefit from exploring TSMO strategies include:

  • Rural planning organizations.
  • Regional councils/councils of governments.
  • Development districts that coordinate planning for multiple counties.
  • Counties and cities that conduct their own planning.
  • State departments of transportation (DOTs).

While any of the above entities can implement TSMO strategies, the term “agency” is used throughout this document for simplicity.


1 "What Is Rural Transportation? Why Rural Matters," Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, https://westerntransportationinstitute.org/about/what-is-rural-transportation/. [ Return to Return to Note 1 ]

2 2020 Urban Area FAQ,” U.S. Census Bureau, accessed August 1, 2022, https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/ua/2020_Urban_Areas_FAQs.pdf. “2020 Final Urban Area Criteria Federal Register Notice”, U.S. Census Bureau, accessed August 1, 2022. [ Return to Return to Note 2 ]

3 "What is Rural America," U.S Census Bureau, Accessed August 1, 2022. [ Return to Return to Note 3 ]

4 Western Transportation Institute, Rural Matters, https://westerntransportationinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WTI-Brochure-120608-LR.pdf. [ Return to Return to Note 4 ]

5 U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), “Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES),” https://www.transportation.gov/rural. [ Return to Return to Note 5 ]

6 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), “Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks”, https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/small_towns/. [ Return to Return to Note 6 ]