Operations News - Archive
News Archive
Highlights From the Third Performance Management Regulation (PM3) Peer Exchange Series for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) - 12/18/2023
This fact sheet reports on highlights from the Peer Exchange for State Departments of Transportation on the third performance management rulemaking, or PM3, held in 2021. The report includes highlights of the topics discussed as well as a list of potential research and technical assistance topics.
Planning For TSMO Practitioner Reference - 12/5/2023
This Reference document enables transportation planners, operators, and others to plan for Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) by identifying operations objectives, performance measures, strategies, implementation, and management considerations. It also features excerpts from an example transportation plan includes brief discussions of important topics in planning for TSMO such as project prioritization and sustaining TSMO over the long term.
Updated FHWA Asset Management for Operations Website - 11/2/2023
The FHWA Asset Management for Operations website has been updated to include presentation slides on Connecting TSMO and Asset Management, links to current Transportation Asset Management Plans (TAMPs) that include TSMO assets, and a sampling of links to TSMO plans that include asset management elements.
2022 Urban Congestion Trends Report - 11/1/2023
The 2022 Urban Congestion Trends report is now available. It includes congestion and reliability measure trends in the 52 largest urban areas in the United States, along information on data tools and an operational strategy evaluation.
Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Safety in Work Zones Targeted Action Plan - 10/26/2023
This report is centered on specific voluntary actions that can be taken by transportation agencies and other stakeholders to address CMV safety in work zones.
Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives Phase I Evaluation: Enhancing the Road Charge Program in California - 10/16/2023
The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015 established the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) Program to provide grants to States or groups of States to demonstrate user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that utilize a user-fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. In Federal fiscal year 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded eight STSFA grants to seven lead States (California, Delaware, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon [project lead for two grants], and Washington) totaling $14,235,000. This report reflects California's findings.
Travel Time Reliability Reference Guide - 10/2/2023
This guide describes key elements for including travel time reliability evaluation within traffic analysis approaches. It includes information on observing the system; defining the problem; collecting and preparing data for analysis; creating the model; verifying, calibrating, and validating; and data processing, analysis, and presentation, as well as some examples. The guide is part of an effort by FHWA to update the FHWA Traffic Analysis Toolbox to reflect and incorporate travel time reliability concepts.
Application of Travel Time Data and Statistics to Travel Time Reliability Analyses Report and Fact Sheet - 9/18/2023
The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) funded project, "Application of Travel Time Data and Statistics to Travel Time Reliability Analyses," has been completed and a report and fact sheet detailing the results are now available. The intent of the report is twofold: to provide practitioners with the ability to understand the differences in reliability measures derived from the different data sources and to document the steps needed to turn high-resolution travel time data into reliability performance measures. The report covers several topics including: data sources for reliability; data processing methods for reliability; and creating and comparing reliability measures, highlighting differences and similarities in the use of data from different sources. A case study was conducted that compared reliability measures developed from different data sources using different processing methods. A four-page fact sheet was also developed.
Approaches to Forecasting the Third Performance Management Rulemaking (PM3) Measures for Target Setting - 8/18/2023
Description: This new report provides example approaches to forecasting for setting targets for the third performance management rulemaking, or PM3, travel time-based measures. The approaches include extrapolation of past trends, identifying "at risk" highway segments, and model-based forecasting options.
2021 Urban Congestion Trends Report - 8/18/2023
The 2021 Urban Congestion Trends report is now available. It includes congestion and reliability measure trends in the 52 largest urban areas in the United States, along information on data tools and an operational strategy evaluation.
Providing In-Cab, Traffic-Related Warning Messages To Commercial Motor Vehicles - 8/16/2023
This fact sheet provides information on NCDOT’s program to share real time traffic-related warning messages.
Four New Evaluation Reports Added to the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives Program - 7/26/2023
The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-94, § 6020, authorized the Secretary of Transportation to establish the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) Program. The purpose of the STSFA Program is to provide grants to States to demonstrate user–based alternative revenue mechanisms that utilize a user fee structure to maintain the long–term solvency of the Federal Highway Trust Fund.
Lessons learned from four additional pilot programs have been added under the resources section.
New Training: Planning for Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) - 7/10/2023
The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) National Highway Institute (NHI) has created a training series on Planning for TSMO. The Planning for TSMO - Introduction (NHI-133131) and Planning for TSMO - Concepts and Applications (NHI-133132) courses are Web-based Training (WBTs) that introduce TSMO and provide in-depth explanations about how to incorporate TSMO strategies into the transportation planning process.
Approaches for Communicating Third Performance Management Rule (PM3) Measures, Metrics, and Targets - 6/14/2023
The Approaches for Communicating Third Performance Management Rule (PM3) Measures, Metrics, and Targets report highlights communication approaches that agencies can use when discussing or presenting the PM3 measures, metrics and targets to various audiences.
TSMO: Getting More from Our Existing System Infographic - 6/2/2023
The infographic provides examples of the benefits of a variety of operational improvements in an easy to read and understand format. The infographic is available as a .pdf and as PowerPoint slides.
New Webpage: Coordinating Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) with Safety - 5/31/2023
This page consolidates the growing body of FHWA and external resources highlighting the opportunities to enhance the collaboration and coordination and TSMO and safety programs, plans, data, and strategies. Case Studies, brochures, technical reports, webinar recordings, and presentations are among the resources currently available. Ongoing FHWA projects will produce additional resources and those will be housed on this page as well when completed.
Mainstreaming TSMO Products - 5/30/2023
This set of 12 products, including brochures, case studies, white papers, and an infographic, aims to help State Departments of Transportation and other agencies mainstream transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) in their organizations.
Identification of National Work Zone Safety Objectives and Activities: Summary Report - 5/25/2023
This summary report documents the results of an effort to develop a list of needs, objectives, and activities for enhancing safety in and around work zones nationally. The report aims to assist potential stakeholders in prioritizing work zone safety activities and implementing targeted work zone safety strategies. The report presents 11 specific strategic objectives to enhance work zone safety nationally.
Case Studies on the Implementation of SHRP2 Reliability Data & Analysis Tools - 5/25/2023
This set of 18 case studies highlights findings from State Departments of Transportation that implemented reliability data and analysis tools developed under the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2).
Providing a 5-Minute Pickup Priority for Ridehail Users Agreeing to Pool: Potential Impacts on Curtailing Bus Delay and Enhancing Equity - 5/2/2023
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential to significantly enhance equity and reduce congestion experienced by city bus riders due to transportation network company (TNC) operations (most especially within corridors with significant bus service) through select TNC or government policy measures. The study analyzes data from a survey conducted by a large TNC, coupled with appended demographic and trip data, to ascertain the impacts of changing private party and shared party TNC pricing and trip times to encourage TNC customers to choose a shared instead of a ride-alone trip. The research looks at the impacts of both total trip + wait time and price on customer decisions to choose a pooling option or to instead insist on a private trip. Compressing the difference in duration between shared and drive-alone trips (including wait time for initial pick up) by 5 minutes is shown to roughly double the proportion of TNC trips that customers choose to share to about 50% of all such trips.
Parking Cruising Analysis Methodology: Final Project Report - 4/27/2023
Motorists circling or cruising for on-street parking that is free or priced below market equilibrium can contribute to congestion and other problems. This report documents a methodology and tool that can be used to understand cruising for parking and the effects of policy interventions on parking search behaviors. It includes case analyses from four U.S. cities, identifying cruising hot spots by time of day and location and assessing policy impacts. The report also documents lessons learned relating to data quality, tool implementation, and the analyses results.
An Assessment of the Expected Impacts of City-Level Parking Cash-Out and Commuter Benefits Ordinances - 4/26/2023
This project analyzed and evaluated the impact city level parking cash out ordinances could have on vehicle travel, congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, crashes, and equity externalities for a sample of nine cities and five distinct scenarios. The final report describes the scenarios studied; the analysis approach, including inputs, outputs, methodology, limitations, and assumptions; data sources; and results for the sample of cities.
2023 National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 17-21: You play a role in work zone safety. Work with us. - 4/14/2023
The 2023 National Work Zone Awareness Week will be hosted by the state of Missouri, with a national kick-off event scheduled for Tuesday, April 18th.
Linking TSMO and Transportation Equity Fact Sheet - 4/4/2023
Many state and local agencies recognize importance of transportation equity in achieving a vision for a multi-modal transportation system that is safe, efficient, and affordable for all users and communities. TSMO is one solution that can help achieve a such a vision. This Fact Sheet lays out a framework for utilizing TSMO in establishing a people-first approach to operations. This also identifies potential equity-related considerations when deploying certain TSMO strategies.
Advancing TSMO through Organizational Structures - 3/6/2023
This report applies concepts of organizational theory, specifically related to organizational structure, to explore ways in which organizational models and structural mechanisms can be used to advance transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) within departments of transportation (DOTs). It includes several case studies of organizational structures in DOTs across the Nation and looks at how DOTs have used their structures to mainstream TSMO.
Recent FHWA Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Resources - 3/6/2023
The FHWA Office of Operations Institutional Foundation for Effective Operations program creates TSMO resources such as primers, case studies, reports, webinars, and brochures. Here is summary of the latest TSMO products and resources and how they can be accessed.
Current FHWA Organizing and Planning for Operations Activities - 3/6/2023
The FHWA Office of Operations Institutional Foundation for Effective Operations program periodically updates its summary of on-going projects and research. Here is summary of the current activities, FHWA staff points of contact, and estimated completion dates.
TSMO - Harnessing the Value of Transportation System Performance - 1/30/2023
This presentation provides State-level examples of the measurable benefits of transportation operations strategies. The slides can be used by States or regions to highlight effective operations in their own presentations and outreach.
