Applying Transportation Systems Management and Operations to Rural Areas

Chapter 3. Planning for TSMO in Rural Areas

Traditionally, transportation planning and TSMO have been independent activities. Planners typically focus on long-range transportation plans and project programming. Operators are primarily concerned with addressing immediate system needs, such as incident response, traffic control, and work zone management. Planning for TSMO connects these two components by bringing operations needs and solutions to the planning processes and bringing longer-term, strategic planning to operations managers.

In rural areas, such as in figure 2, development is limited and dispersed, and travel options are often limited. Traffic safety and weather conditions are often the largest concerns. While congestion may generally be a minor concern, some rural areas may experience seasonal, off-peak congestion due to tourism or events.

Figure 2. Photo. Paradise Valley Road in Washington.
Source: FHWA.

Successful planning for TSMO involves reliable evaluation and selection of TSMO strategies. The agency should clearly understand the problems, needs, and goals, and the available resources (e.g., funding, already deployed strategies and technologies, data, institutional expertise and capabilities) to select the strategies that will produce the most successful results. Planning for TSMO in rural areas has some unique considerations related to services available, geographic challenges, and local agency organization.

Figure 3. Diagram. Planning for transportation systems management and operations.
Source: FHWA.

Why is Planning for TSMO in Rural Areas Needed?

The benefits of TSMO in rural areas can be achieved through coordinated, strategic implementation and ongoing support through day-to-day operations and maintenance. All TSMO strategies may involve some investment of resources, which could be in the form of funding, data, equipment, technology, or staff time. Planning is needed to obtain these resources and ensure their proper use. Addressing the challenges of implementing TSMO while ensuring TSMO strategies are cost-effective requires careful planning. For example, resources are usually limited at one rural agency or one rural geographic area; a TSMO plan can seek opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing with other agencies or geographic areas. Careful planning also helps identify areas that can benefit the most from TSMO strategies and prioritize and schedule implementation of different strategies to maximize the return on investment. This may be especially useful to rural areas with limited funding.

Approach to Planning for TSMO in Rural Areas

Regardless of the planning context, several fundamental activities such as programming, design, and systems engineering are all important when planning for TSMO. This approach is introduced and described in the Deployments in Corridors and Subareas Primer.¹⁰ To account for the broad range of contexts in which TSMO may be planned for in rural areas, the following section builds upon previous knowledge and outlines planning steps that can be applied to rural areas.

Figure 3 outlines the overarching approach to planning for TSMO within rural areas. Although there is no universal approach to TSMO planning and no legal requirement for it, the steps listed below, and other resources listed in the References section of this document, can help promote the understanding of available TSMO strategies and their potential applications. These resources combined with local agencies and staff’s understanding of area-specific issues form the essential basis for TSMO planning.

Getting Started: Scoping the Effort and Building a Team

Developing an effective system management plan involves scoping the effort and building a team of stakeholders to work together on its development. Key considerations in scoping the effort include the identified need, the geographic area, and key personnel.

Gathering Information on Current and Future Conditions and Capabilities

A key early step in developing any strategy is gathering information about current and future institutional and technical capabilities, resources, and system performance. Baseline information helps identify challenges and problem areas.

Defining the Project Goals, Objectives, and Performance Measures

Operations goals are high-level statements of what transportation in the area would look like if it reflects the needs, values, and priorities of operators and users. Objectives define desired outcomes in relation to how the transportation system will perform. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebound.

Identifying Needs, Gaps, and Opportunities

Gathering and analyzing data for performance measures are important in identifying gaps between desired outcomes (objectives) and current conditions, and initially identifying potential opportunities for improvements.

Identifying, Evaluating, and Selecting TSMO Strategies

A variety of methods exist to identify the best TSMO strategies to address specific needs. While many TSMO or operations strategies have benefits, properly assessing strategies can be challenging. After identifying potential strategies, the first step is to screen the strategies for feasibility, and then conduct a more detailed evaluation. Given the wide array of potential strategies to consider, selection often involves quantitative and qualitative analyses. This document outlines recommendations, case studies, and other resources listed in the References section that can be used during the planning process when identifying, evaluating, and selecting TSMO strategies.

Programming for TMSO Strategies

Programming funds for TSMO strategies is a key step in making TSMO strategies a reality. TSMO investments and strategies can be funded by a combination of Federal, State, and local sources. The goals and objectives of the TSMO plan should direct funding decisions and the selection of projects at the State and regional levels.

Implementing Selected TSMO Strategies

To be successfully implemented, an integrated TSMO plan requires close coordination among transportation and non-transportation agencies. A systems engineering process is important to providing an organized approach, reducing schedule and cost risks, and ensuring user needs and requirements are met.