Spring Edition 2007
Jody McCullough
Transportation Planner, FHWA Office of Planning
Co-Editor
Ben Williams
Metropolitan Planning Specialist, FHWA Resource Center
Co-Editor
The Transportation Planning Update is a quarterly newsletter providing information to the transportation planning community. Articles are written and submitted by Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration staff to promote the sharing of ideas, highlighting of good practices and informing of current events.
In This Issue
SAFETEA-LU Planning Impacts
New Associate Administrator
Public Involvement Pilot
Field Focus - Nevada
Security Planning
Safety Planning
Planning & Climate Change
Environmental Excellence Awards
Context Sensitive Solutions & Planning
Census - Participant Statistical Program
National Household Survey Transferability
Census “On the Map”
Trail Guidebooks
Access Board Rule on Trails
Land Use & Transportation
Headquarter Staff Move & Staff Changes
Performance Measure Workshop
Let’s Talk Planning
Travel Demand Forecasting Webinar
Scheduled Training Opportunities
Calendar of Events
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SAFETEA-LU Planning Impacts
Updated: A Guide To Federal-Aid Programs And Projects
This guide provides basic information about the Federal-Aid programs, projects, and other program characteristics. The guide is intended to provide basic information for FHWA and State personnel involved in the administration of the Federal-Aid Highway Program. It is not intended to be an eligibility guide, but contains basic descriptions and historical information on active and inactive programs. Federal-Aid highway funds are authorized by Congress to assist the States in providing for construction, reconstruction, and improvement of highways and bridges on eligible Federal-Aid highway routes and for other special purpose programs and projects. Through the Federal Lands Highway Program, funding is provided for improving access to and within National Forests, National Parks, Indian Lands and other public lands. Much of the information provided in this guide was included in the FHWA's 1999 edition of the same publication. This publication updates information from the past document and includes information resulting from the latest multi-year Federal-Aid authorizing legislative act, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Public Law 109-59). As new or updated information becomes available, the electronic version of this guide will be updated. This information is available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/federalaid/projects.cfm
National Broadcast on the Overview of the Final Rule on Metropolitan and Statewide Transportation Planning
On April 19, 2007 the Center for Transportation and Environment (CTE) at North Carolina State University held a national broadcast on the Overview of the Final Rule. The broadcast was part of the FTA and FHWA public outreach efforts to review and clarify the joint FTA/FHWA Final Rule governing the development of metropolitan transportation plans and programs, statewide transportation plans and programs and regulations for congestion management systems.
The Final Rule was published in the federal register on February 14, 2007 and became effective on March 16, 2007 and was primarily prepared to implement the planning provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (referred to as SAFETEA-LU). The Final Rule also incorporates changes from its predecessor legislation, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and generally would make the regulations consistent with statutory requirements.
The web cast on the Final Rule can be viewed at http://itre.ncsu.edu/CTE/TechTransfer/Teleconferences/archive.asp
For further information contact Victor Austin at victor.austin@dot.gov.
Planning Activities with SAFETEA-LU Provisions-Illustrative Examples
The report “Planning Activities with SAFETEA-LU Provisions-Illustrative examples” provides examples of current practice from Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and states to illustrate a range of approaches for addressing several selected planning provisions of SAFETEA-LU. They are from a cross-section of large and small MPOs and states, and are offered for consideration by all practitioners as they formulate and implement their own plans to achieve SAFETEA-LU compliance.
The examples were obtained from a variety of sources: commendations for effective planning practice offered by FTA and FHWA during the course of planning certification reviews of MPOs serving transportation management areas; information from publications and internet postings of various national stakeholder organizations; and case studies from the FHWA/FTA 2006 Transportation Planning Excellence Awards. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tpea/ For more information you can contact Mr. Victor Austin, Community Planner at 202.366.2996 victor.austin@dot.gov .
New Associate Administrator
New FTA Associate Administrator for the Office of Planning and Environment
Susan Borinsky is the Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). As Associate Administrator, she oversees the planning, development, and evaluation of FTA-assisted major capital investments in transit heavy rail, light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit projects, collectively termed “New Starts.” Ms. Borinsky also oversees the development of policy, guidance, and training for metropolitan and statewide transportation planning and for environmental review of all FTA-assisted projects and activities.
Before becoming Associate Administrator, Ms. Borinsky served as the FTA Regional Administrator in Philadelphia (Region III) where she oversaw the planning, grant-making, and project management for a public transportation program of over $10 billion annually in five mid-Atlantic States and the District of Columbia. Prior to that, she served as the Director of the Office of Human and Natural Environment within the same FTA Office of Planning and Environment that she now heads. Ms. Borinsky also worked in the Policy Office of the Secretary of Transportation.
Ms. Borinsky has a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Master of Environmental Law from the George Washington University Law School.
Public Involvement
FTA Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program
The FTA Office of Planning’s Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program (PTP Program) is now underway. The PTP Program, created as part of SAFETEA-LU, is designed to fund small applied research projects that will yield products to improve public participation in public transportation planning at the regional or project level. The PTP Program’s inter-agency Technical Working Group selected seven research projects to participate in the first year of the PTP Program. These projects will focus on a variety of issues, including: data collection, transportation access, public participation through the project development phases, coordination of transportation alternatives and benefits and services, and measuring performance. Projects will be implemented over a 12-month period. At their conclusion, a website will be unveiled to share information on tools, best practices, and lessons learned in creating an effective public participation process for transit planning.
The Technical Working Group has also recommended projects to receive the Program’s 2007 funding, and will announce those shortly. For more information on the PTP Program visit http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/programs/planning_environment_5925.html. Contact Effie Stallsmith at effie.stallsmith@dot.gov or Rachael Barolsky at rachael.barolsky@volpe.dot.gov.
Field Focus
New: Each quarterly newsletter will have an article that will focus on a FTA or FHWA field office.
Nevada Division Highlights
Nevada is approximately 490 miles long and 320 miles wide and is known as the "Silver State". Nevada has more mountain ranges than any other state in the U.S. and its landscape is a mix of rugged, snow covered, forested mountains; pastureland; large lakes; and deserts with broad playas. The division office is located in Carson City with a population of over 52,400. The largest metro area is Clark County, home to Las Vegas. Clark County is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Nevada’s population is expanding rapidly with an increase of 24.9% from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006.
Susan Klekar is the Division Administrator and Mike Herron is the Assistant Division Administrator. Valerie Rodman is the Planning and Research Program Manager in an office of 16. She is responsible for planning and research coordination with Nevada DOT, two MPOs (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Carson Area MPO) and two TMAs (RTC of Washoe County and RTC of Southern Nevada). Valerie joined the Division in February 2007, although she is no stranger to Nevada having resided there previously for 20 years. Graduating with an advanced degree from the University of Nevada, Reno; Valerie has over 25 years of transportation experience. A 2006 graduate of the USDA Executive Potential Program, she has been with FHWA for five years. A sampling of her experience includes: FHWA Western Federal Lands; two state DOTs (Nevada and Washington State); Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County; and the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District and the regional transit agency (SMART) both located in Stockton, CA.
Valerie Rodman states that, “Although many people think of Nevada as the sprawling cities of Las Vegas or Reno with resort style gaming and major warehousing complexes; it has over 80% of its area in state and federal public lands. This provides exciting outdoor recreation opportunities, such as: hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, skiing, boating, biking, kayaking, and whitewater rafting. Preservation is always a concern of planners throughout the state, but especially in the more pristine areas such as Lake Tahoe, the location of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.”
Major issues in Nevada are growing the economy while preserving air and water quality. The challenge for planning is to get in front of growth with long range transportation plans, linking planning and NEPA, coordination with resource agencies and Central Federal Lands, and considering and implementing multimodal solutions. Currently an HOV Master Plan is being prepared for Clark County so that these types of strategies can be implemented along with the proposed lane widening on several Las Vegas freeways.
Because of the major warehousing, ranching and mining transportation needs; trucking, rail and air freight is another important issue. Currently two “Corridors of the Future” proposals are being considered that transect Nevada, I-80 and I-15. Furthermore, the Washoe County RTC is taking the lead on conducting the I-80 Corridor Study that will consider tourist, commute and freight traffic.
The Nevada Division Office considers itself fortunate to be located in a small historic capitol city with work that is both challenging and exciting.
Security Planning
Security planning includes activities and products developed in response to identified criminal threats to high value, vulnerable elements of the transportation system. Preparedness planning includes activities and products developed in response to the threat of environmental hazards and natural occurrences. Four state and Metropolitan Planning Organizations were researched for this report, which found numerous activities that can be characterized as contributing to the integration of security and emergency preparedness into the transportation planning process including: chartering committees and organizations; establishing liaisons or otherwise designating planning staff resources; establishing project categories and program funding; and conducting vulnerability and threat assessments. The four planning organizations studied were: Houston-Galveston Area Council (PDF), San Diego Association of Governments (PDF), Oregon State Department of Transportation (PDF), and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (PDF). Reports available in PDF format only. To request a printed version of a report, email kenneth.petty@dot.gov
Security planning information is available on the Transportation Planning Capacity Building website under "security": http://www.planning.dot.gov/technical.asp#gensec
The Role of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) In Preparing for Security Incidents and Transportation System Response
This paper outlines possible roles for MPOs in a regional strategy for handling security/disaster incidents. The appropriate role depends upon the political and institutional context for that region and the expertise and capabilities of the MPO staff. Given the regional nature of an incident of the scale and scope of the events of September 11th or of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, a MPO has potentially an important role to play. In fact, existing MPO hurricane and disaster evacuation plans are a good starting point and may be sufficient for the types of incidents anticipated. http://www.planning.dot.gov/Documents/Securitypaper.htm .
Safety Planning
FHWA has developed a new safety planning resource. The Transportation Planner’s Safety Desk Reference, serves as a companion to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program’s (NCHRP) Report 500 Guidance for Implementation of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The report describes an overview of transportation safety, the potential roles that transportation planners can play to advance it, a framework for incorporating safety into the transportation planning process, available sources that may be accessed to fund safety programs, and a menu of possible safety strategies. The Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Planning and Office of Safety developed this report in consultation with other federal agencies and external stakeholders involved in improving transportation safety.
Copies of the report are being sent to all Division and Regional Offices, State DOTs and MPOs. The report is also available via the internet, at http://tsp.trb.org/ (under the ‘tools’ section). For more information, contact Chester Fung at chester.fung@dot.gov or 202-366-2151 or Tamiko Burnell at tamiko.burnell@dot.gov or 202-366-2176.
Environment
Planning and Climate Change Linkages
There has been growing interest regarding the linkages between the transportation planning process and climate change issues. In particular, there is mounting activity by states and cities, led by governors and mayors, to aggressively approach climate change issues. Nevertheless, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and their transportation planning partners have only very recently begun to consider how they might incorporate climate change and related energy considerations in their planning processes. This growing focus encompasses both the significant contribution the transportation sector makes to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the vulnerability of the nation’s transportation infrastructure to the effects of climate change.
As national, state and local concern over climate change issues grows, FHWA will be facilitating the exchange of information to advance the practice and application of transportation planning among state, regional and local transportation planning agencies to successfully meet growing concerns about the relationship between transportation and climate change. The efforts provide FHWA with the opportunity to work with its transportation planning partners to identify and implement best practices in their planning processes to address these new challenges. Initial efforts will highlight how states, regions, and local areas are incorporating climate change consideration as part of the transportation planning process, which may include:
• Inclusion of GHG reduction as a broad goal in long-range planning,
• Consideration of climate change/weather impacts in long-range planning,
• Consideration of CO2 reduction in vision or scenario planning,
• Analysis of GHG reduction through data collection, analysis, or modeling ,
• Coordination among states, cities, and counties in developing their GHG reduction plans and/or inventories,
• Building consensus through public involvement and outreach to stakeholders.
Contact: Diane Turchetta at Diane.Turchetta@dot.gov
2007 Environmental Excellence Awards
FHWA’s Environmental Excellence Awards recognized projects that achieved goals of integrating environmental protection and enhancement with traditional highway engineering, set a good example for the transportation community, and a high standard of excellence in project decision-making for the next generation. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/eea2007/index.htm
Transportation/Land Use Planning and Air Quality
FHWA is co-sponsoring the 2007 Transportation/Land Use Planning and Air Quality
Conference in Orlando, Florida from July 9-11, 2007. Registration is now available. For details: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/transaq/home.html .
Integration of Context Sensitive Solutions in the Transportation Planning Process: Final Report
Since the 1998 "Thinking Beyond the Pavement" workshop, Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) for project development have been well documented. At the same time, better integration of CSS principles in the transportation planning process has been an additional focus and goal. Recently, FHWA initiated a project to investigate emerging successful practices, case studies, and policy guidance that can promote integrating CSS principles in the transportation planning process. The project included a general review of the relevant literature and current planning practices. Using the 1998 CSS principles for project development as a point of departure, a set of principles applicable to transportation planning were developed. Materials for online and print publication were prepared that include the principles, questions and answers related to implementing practices based on the principles, and case studies and fact sheets highlighting examples of CSS integration into transportation planning.
This FHWA report provides documentation of the current practices underway in planning agencies and also provides a “toolkit” of supporting materials. The report concludes with a summary of findings, recommendations for implementation, and identifies several areas needing future study. See full report at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/csstp/csstransplan.htm
Environmental Research
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued the FY2007 Request for Applications (RFA) for "Integrating Transportation and Resource Planning to Develop Ecosystem Based Infrastructure Projects" on May 9, 2007.
The formal Request for Applications (RFA) package is now available at http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=13223&mode=VIEW Click "How to Apply". Applications must be submitted via www.grants.gov by Friday, June 22, 2007 by 5 pm EST. Funded pilot projects will establish or assist in the efforts to conduct integrated planning efforts and develop ecosystem-based approaches for transportation projects as outlined in Eco-Logical: an Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects. The Eco-Logical document is available at http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/ecological/eco_index.asp.
Planning Data
Participant Statistical Areas Program
The Census Bureau has published proposed criteria for census tracts, block groups, census designated places (CDPs), and census county divisions (CCDs defined in 22 states as the statistical equivalents of minor civil divisions) for the 2010 Census in the Federal Register on April 6, 2007. All interested individuals and organizations are invited to review and comment, as appropriate, on the proposed criteria for these statistical areas. The critical change that is in the Federal Register notice is establishing a population and/or housing unit threshold for block groups, and this threshold is 1,200 persons, and 480 housing units. For Census 2000, the population threshold for block groups was 600. The response deadline is July 5, 2007. Each of the Federal Register notices is available on the Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program website at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/psap2010/psapcriteria.html as well as via the Federal Register's website at http://www.gpoacess.gov/fr/index.html.
The 2010 Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) will allow designated participants, following Census Bureau guidelines, to review and suggest modifications to the boundaries for block groups, census tracts, census county divisions, and census designated places for reporting data from the 2010 Census. General information about the 2010 Participant Statistical Areas Program is available on the Census Bureau's website at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/psap2010/psap2010_main.html
2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) Transferability
The FHWA "2001 National Household Travel Survey Transferability" project is now complete. http://fmip.ornl.gov/nhts/ This website includes the final report, a tutorial, and the web-based selection tool to obtain tract and TAZ level estimates for person trips, vehicle trips, Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT) and Person Miles of Travel (PMT) for weekday travel.
FHWA finds that locally collected household travel surveys are best, but recognizes that limited funding can restrict the ability to conduct these surveys. Therefore, this project was developed to assist those areas which have not been able to conduct a recent household travel survey. To generate these estimates, the NHTS results were combined with Census 2000, and some additional data sources. The work was done by Oak Ridge National Labs.
For more information about plans for the next NHTS, please contact Heather Contrino, the NHTS project manager, Heather.contrino@dot.gov 202-366-5060.
On the Map data
“On the Map” (OTM) is one component of the Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics (LEHD) program. On the Map is a synthetic “home-to-work” flow tabulation at the census block level based on State-supplied Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and Multiple Worksite Reports (MWR) submitted to the Census Bureau at http://lehdmap2.dsd.census.gov/themap/. On the Map creates small area home-to-work flows using administrative records instead of a sample survey of persons. This effort has been funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA).
Transportation planners should thoroughly review OTM before use in any transportation application. Please see the description of the data processing steps posted at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/lehd.htm .
It is estimated that OTM will prove to be a valuable tool for transportation planners, over time. Currently, however, it is highly recommended that users conduct a thorough review and evaluation of the data before it is used. Because OTM provides very fine geographic detail, it leaves users with the impression that the positional accuracy is correct.
The transportation data community is strongly encouraged to examine and review the OTM data, because the potential benefits of OTM could be considerable. The CTPP has relied on the decennial Census "long form" sample for small area home-to-work flows. The next CTPP will use the American Community Survey (ACS), but the sample in the ACS is much smaller and surveys will need to be accumulated over 5 years to get small area flows, with larger margins of error. For more details, contact Elaine Murakami 206-220-4460 elaine.murakami@dot.gov
Trails
New! Trail Guidebooks and Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Trail Planning, Design and Development Guidelines. This book provides detailed information ranging from planning, evaluating environmental impacts, development, and maintenance of all types of trail facilities. It outlines best practices for all activities ranging from bicycle and pedestrian pathways to winter-use trails used by both motorized and nonmotorized users for recreation and transportation. It can be ordered at the Minnesota Bookstore at www.minnesotasbookstore.com, 651-297-3000 or 1-800-657-3757. $19.95 Stock No. 9-66. Spiral bound paperback (call about quantity discounts). It is available in CD format, Adobe Acrobat PDF.
International Mountain Bicycling Association: Managing Mountain Biking: IMBA's Guide to Providing Great Riding. This book focuses on solving mountain biking issues through innovative trail design, effective partnerships, and visitor management strategies. This book was developed with financial support from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration's Recreational Trails Program along with sponsorship from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program and the States of Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Minnesota. $35. See www.imba.com/resources/bike_management/managing_mountain_bikes.html for a preview and information on how to acquire this book.
National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council: Management Guidelines for OHV Recreation. This book details strategies for building and maintaining environmentally sustainable and quality OHV trail systems. It is also a valuable tool for leaders of OHV clubs and associations who want to become more effective partners in OHV management planning processes. $10. See www.nohvcc.org/newsletter/prbook.asp.
NOHVCC Adventure Trail CD-ROM. For a 10-step safety and responsible OHV riding educational program, in fun computer activities. See www.nohvcc.org/newsletter/ad3.htm.
International Association of Snowmobile Administrators: Evaluation of ATV Use on Groomed Snowmobile Trails and other snowmobile safety and research guides are available on-line at www.snowiasa.org/guidelines-resources/.
USDA Forest Service: Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook, 2007. This pocket-sized manual provides basic trail construction and maintenance information. Available June 2007 from FHWA’s Recreational Trails Program website at www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/trailpub.htm.
USDA Forest Service: Wetland Trail Design and Construction, 2007. This book describes techniques for building wetland trails. See www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/trailpub.htm.
Other Forest Service trail publications are at www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/index.htm
Access Board Rule on Trails
A notice of proposed rulemaking on outdoor developed areas under the Architectural Barriers Act will be published in mid-June. It provides guidance on the design and construction of newly constructed and altered trails, outdoor recreation access routes, picnic and camping facilities, and beach access routes. The guidelines in this NPRM will only apply to outdoor developed areas constructed or altered by Federal agencies. This would apply on Federal Lands or those done by another Federal Agency. The guidelines do not apply to outdoor developed areas constructed or altered by other entities, like State DOTs with federal funds. Future rulemaking is planned for Federally funded outdoor developed areas and those areas covered by title II (State and local government) and title III (places of public accommodation) under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
There will be a 90 day comment period on this NPRM. The date begins on the date that it is published in the Federal Register. During the comment period, two public hearings are planned: July 24, 2007 in Denver, CO and during the September 5-7 Access Board meetings in Washington, DC. For more information contact Christopher Douwes at 202-366-5013 or Peggy Greenwell, greenwell@Access-Board.gov at (202) 272-0017 or Bill Botten at (202) 272-0014 or botten@access-board.gov from the Access Board. The notice will be available on the same day of publication on the Board’s website http://www.access-board.gov/outdoor/index.htm
Land Use and Transportation
FTA, HUD Issue Report on the Potential of Expanding Housing Opportunities near Transit
The Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are issuing a new report on the potential to accommodate housing – including affordable housing – near public transportation. Titled “Realizing the Potential: Expanding Housing Opportunities Near Transit,” the report identifies a new way to look at housing and transportation affordability, as it describes the way in which several cities have used a wide variety of legal and financial tools to encourage housing around their transit stations.
The report reveals that with the shift in our households from predominantly families with children to households without children has come a growing awareness of a shift in demand from housing in the suburbs to housing downtown. This shift coincides with increasing awareness that the advantage of moving to the suburbs to afford more a house is often eliminated by the rising cost of transportation. As a result, demand for housing near transit – so that transportation costs are contained - is expected to grow appreciably over the next 20 years.
The not-for-profit firm Reconnecting America’s Center for Transit-Oriented Development has examined five corridors in Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Portland, Ore. Their findings show that a significant challenge in the coming years will be how to make room for the households of tomorrow at a scale and affordability necessary to meet the demand. The organization’s previous report, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” estimated that the demand for housing near transit would exceed 14.6 million households by 2025. The five corridors in this report showed that while programs and incentives exist to encourage construction of affordable housing near transit, more needs to be done to truly meet the demand, including:
• Coordinating housing plans with local transportation plans, so that affordable housing is served by high quality public transportation
• Making housing investments in the context of other development, such as retail and commercial, so that more daily trips can be made on foot and by transit
• Encouraging the private development market to become a partner in achieving the goal of better connections between housing – including affordable housing – and public transportation
Look for this document on the FTA website in the near future. For more information, contact Effie Stallsmith of the Federal Transit Administration at 202- 366-5653 or effie.stallsmith@dot.gov.
New DOT Headquarters Building
The U.S. Department of Transportation has now transitioned to a new location in Washington, DC. FHWA and FTA Headquarters Planning staff has now moved. Their new addresses are 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE. in Washington, D.C. 20590. The new DOT Headquarters location is comprised of two office buildings—West and East. FHWA and FTA staffs are located in the East building. Addresses for both buildings are the same.
Staff Changes to Watch For
Spring has brought a lot of change for the Federal Planning staffs. Here are a few highlights of the moves:
New Deputy Associate Administrator of FTA Office of Planning and Environment
Elizabeth (Sherry) Riklin has been selected as the Deputy Associate Administrator and returns to the Office of Planning and Environment from the Office of the Secretary where she has served as a Policy Analyst since 2000. Sherry advised the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy on issues related to mobility and infrastructure aspects of the transportation system including transit, intercity bus, intermodal passenger facilities, congestion mitigation, and value pricing. She also staffed the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.
Prior to serving in the Office of the Secretary, Sherry was a Community Planner in FTA’s Office of Planning and Environment for two years. She came to FTA from the Capitol Region Council of Governments, Hartford, Connecticut’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, where she was a Transportation Planner responsible for managing the region’s Jobs Access program, multiple corridor studies, and the travel forecasting elements of the Griffin Line Corridor Major Investment Study.
FHWA Changes
Effective June 24, 2007, Larry D. Anderson (Planning Oversight and Stewardship Team Manager in the FHWA Office of Planning) will transfer to the Central Federal Lands Highway Division (Lakewood, Colorado), where he will serve as Director of Program Administration. During his four years with the Office of Planning, Larry played an instrumental role in advancing sound planning program oversight and stewardship principles and practices, and served as the co-lead in developing the new FHWA/FTA Final Rule on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming.
Dr. Jienki Synn is the newest addition to the Office of Planning. Jienki is a member of the Planning Oversight and Stewardship Team. Jienki will be the Office's co-lead on freight and intermodal planning and rural planning/non-metropolitan local official consultation, a point-of-contact on asset management linkages to transportation planning and will work on HEPP efforts related to the USDOT Congestion Initiative. Additionally, he will serve as a Planning Stewardship Liaison for some geographically-assigned Division Offices in the DFS "North" area. Jienki most recently served as a Senior Transportation Planner with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for the Philadelphia region. Jienki has Bachelor's Degree from Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut), a Masters Degree from the Univ. of Michigan, and a PhD in Transportation Planning from the Univ. of Pennsylvania.
Bruce Spear, FHWA Office of Planning has retired.
Bruce Bender has become the New Mexico Division Planner;
Theresa Hutchins, Tennessee Division has moved to FHWA Headquarters, Office of Planning, and will be located in Olympia WA;
Scott Carson moved from the Mississippi Division to the California Division;
Sabina David will be moving from the Florida Division to the Georgia Division;
Karen Brunelle will be moving from the Tennessee Division to the Florida Division.
Resource Center
Performance Measurement in Transportation Planning Workshop
The pilot session for the new one-day Performance Measurement Workshop was held on April 20, 2007 in Philadelphia, PA at the offices of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. This workshop was developed as a collaborative effort between the Resource Center Planning Team and the Headquarters’ Office of Planning. An invited audience of approximately 20 individuals grew to a total of 30, demonstrating the interest in this particular topic. The group included FHWA Headquarters and Division staff, as well as, FTA Region 3 staff. In addition, representatives from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey DOT attended, as well as, folks from the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Pittsburgh MPO’s and regional transit operators. This broad cross-section of transportation professionals provided useful feedback and comments needed to make final revisions in the material before deliveries to transportation customers across the nation. For more information contact Brian Betlyon, FHWA Resource Center Planning Team brian.betlyon@fhwa.dot.gov or (410) 962-0086.
New FY 2008 Planning Menu
The FY 2008 Planning Menu of training and technical assistance offerings across a range of planning topics is now available. The “Menu” includes courses, workshops, webinars and other technical assistance offerings available from FHWA Resource Center teams, FHWA and FTA Headquarters offices, NHI and NTI. The “Menu” also includes training and technical assistance resources in air quality and environment. The “Menu” is available from your FHWA Division Office or on the FHWA Resource Center web site: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/planning/publications.cfm .
Planning Community of Practice Reminder
Next time you have a question about policy issues or the location of the next planning meeting, remember the Planning Communities of Practice (CoP) available for FHWA’s planning staff. It is currently only available inside the Federal network and can be found at http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/planning . You can view the information without a password but need your UPACS login to add new comments or postings.
We also encourage all FHWA Planners to sign up for the "The Planning Interchange" as we hope this portion of the site will replicate the informal discussion of the current Field Planners email group. If you have any ideas or suggestions for how to increase its utility and effectiveness, please let one of the members of the listed development team know.
Let's Talk Planning
The Let’s Talk Planning series of video/web meetings are information-sharing sessions for FHWA and FTA planners. FHWA and FTA strive to provide the FHWA and FTA planning staff with current information, technical assistance and clarification to the topics that field planners suggest. These internal meetings are held the second Thursday every 3 months via videoconference or webinar.
Save-the-Dates!
• June 14, 2 sessions at noon and 3:00 pm/EST Focus: Congestion Management Process
• September 13, 2 sessions noon and 3:00 pm/EST
• December 13, 2 sessions noon and 3:00 pm/EST
Please send any requests or ideas to Jocelyn Jones at 410-962-2486 or Jocelyn.Jones@dot.gov or Jody McCullough at 202-366-2825 or Jody.McCullough@dot.gov
Travel Modeling
Introduction to Travel Demand Forecasting: A Webinar for FHWA Planners
A new modeling resource is now available. A two hour web-based version of the Resource Center’s one day workshop on travel forecasting has been developed, and targeted to the needs of FHWA field planners. The new webinar is organized around the TMA Certification Checklist for Travel Forecasting Methods. This interactive session will help field planners understand: why travel demand modeling is important, how to assess the health of a model, and how to assure a healthy model is properly applied. For more details, contact Eric Pihl, FHWA Resource Center Planning team at eric.pihl@dot.gov 720-963-3219.
New TMIP Newsletter
The Travel Model Improvement Program has published their latest newsletter. It can be found at
http://tmip.fhwa.dot.gov/clearinghouse/tmip_newsletter/spring07_issue26/. For more information contact Penelope Weinberger, 202-366-4054 Penelope.weinberger@dot.gov .
Scheduled Training Opportunities
Next Quarter’s Workshops & Training Courses
Resource Center
For information see contacts at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/planning/index.cfm .
6/14/2007 The Visualization Toolbox: A Practical Primer
for Transportation, West Point, NY. Contact Ben Williams 404-562-3671 ben.williams@fhwa.dot.gov .
9/17/2007-9/21/2007 “Mining Data for Transportation Planning” Using CTPP2000 extraction software and working with ACS data and the NHTS. Contact Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 ed.chtristopher@fhwa.dot.gov
National Transit Institute
For registration instructions see: http://www.ntionline.com/CourseDates.asp
6/5/2007-6/7/2007 Introduction to Metropolitan Planning,
St. Louis, MO
6/12/2007-6/14/2007 Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making , Dallas, TX
6/18/2007-6/20/2007 Financial Planning in Transportation, Houston, TX
6/19/2007-6/21/2007 Transportation and Land Use, Denver, CO
6/20/2007-6/22/2007 Introduction to Metropolitan Planning, Forest Park, GA
6/21/2007 Web Based Survey Techniques (TCRP Synthesis #69) New Brunswick, NJ
6/25/2007-6/27/2007 Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making Los Angeles, CA
6/25/2007-6/27/2007 State and Metropolitan Transportation Programming Seattle, WA
6/26/2007-6/28/2007 Introduction to Metropolitan Planning, New York, NY
6/26/2007-6/27/2007 Introduction to Statewide Planning Arlington, TX
6/27/2007-6/29/2007 Financial Planning in Transportation, Seattle, WA
National Highway Institute
Try out the new NHI Web site!
http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/home.aspx Also, you can now check on the schedule of web conferences at http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/eventcalendar.aspx .
New NHI Courses
FHWA-NHI-131112 Principles and Practices for Enhanced Maintenance Management Systems
FHWA-NHI-133099 (2-day)/ FHWA-NHI-133099A (1-day) Managing Travel for Planned Special Events
FHWA-NHI-137043 Integrated Transportation Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Communities
Updated NHI Courses
FHWA-NHI-142036 Public Involvement in the Transportation Decision-Making Process
FHWA-NHI-151021 Administration of FHWA Planning and Research Grants
NHI Web Courses Now Available Anytime
FHWA-NHI-151044 Traffic Monitoring and Pavement Design Programs
FHWA-NHI-151045 Highway Performance Monitoring System: An Introduction
FHWA-NHI-141045 Real Estate Acquisition Under the Uniform Act: An Overview
FHWA-NHI-142052 Introduction to NEPA and Transportation Decisionmaking
NHI Scheduled Courses
06/05/2007-06/07/2007 Basic Relocation under the Uniform Act, Salt Lake, UT
6/5/2007 – 06/07/2007 Public Involvement in the Transportation Decisionmaking Process, Jefferson City, MO
6/12/2007 – 06/13/2007 Integrating Freight in the Transportation Planning Process, Phoenix, AZ
6/19/2007 - 06/21/2007 NEPA and Transportation Decisionmaking, Columbia, SC
06/19/2007 – 06/20/2007 Managing Travel for Planned Special Events (2-day), Shoreline, WA
6/20/2007-6/21/2007 Fundamentals of Title VI/Environment Justice Nashville, TN
06/20/2007 – 06/21/2007 Fundamentals of Title VI/Environmental Justice, Nashville, TN
6/20/2007- 06/21/2007 Water Quality Management of Highway Runoff, Concord, NH
6/20/2007 – 06/22/2007 Beyond Compliance: Historic Preservation in Transportation Project Development
Salem, OR
06/24/2007 – 06/25/2007 Managing Travel for Planned Special Events (2-day), Shoreview, MN
06/26/2007 – 06/27/2007 Administration of FHWA Planning and Research Grants, Fort Worth, TX
06/26/2007-06/27/2007 Administration of FHWA Planning and Research Grants, Fort Worth, TX
06/28/2007-06/29/2007 Linking Planning and NEPA: Towards Streamlined Decision Making, Redding, CA
07/10/2007 – 07/12/2007 Uses of Multimodal Freight Forecasting in Transportation Planning, Macon, GA
07/11/2007 – 07/11/2007 Integrated Transportation Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Communities
Frankfort, KY
7/17/2007 – 07/18/2007 Transportation Safety Planning
San Luis Obispo, CA
7/24/2007-7/26/2007 Principles and Practices for Enhanced Maintenance Management Systems, Concord NH
7/24/2007 – 07/26/2007 Implications of Air Quality Planning for Transportation, Houston, TX
7/31/2007 - 08/02/2007 NEPA and Transportation Decisionmaking, Portland, OR
08/07/2007 – 08/09/2007 Beyond Compliance: Historic Preservation in Transportation Project Development
Columbus, OH
08/14/2007 – 08/16/2007 Advanced Relocation under the Uniform Act, Shoreline, WA
09/11/2007 – 09/12/2007 Appraisal for Federal-Aid Highway Programs, Concord, NH
09/13/2007 - 09/13/2007 Appraisal Review for Federal-Aid Highway Programs, Concord, NH
09/17/2007 – 09/19/2007 Beyond Compliance: Historic Preservation in Transportation Project Development
Columbus, OH
9/19/2007 – 09/21/2007 Public Involvement in the Transportation Decisionmaking Process, Houston, TX
9/25/2007 - 09/26/2007 Pedestrian Facility Design
Dover, DE
10/16/2007 - 10/18/2007 NEPA and Transportation Decisionmaking, Portland, OR
12/04/2007-12/05/2007 Transportation Safety Planning
Anchorage, AK
Travel Model Improvement Program
6/182007 - 6/22/2007 Individual Choice Behavior: Theory and Application of Discrete Choice Analysis Cambridge, MA
7/30/2007 – 7/3/2007 Modeling and Simulation of Transportation Networks Cambridge, MA
Travel Model Improvement Program Workshops details: http://tmip.fhwa.dot.gov/conf_courses/ or contact: Penelope Weinberger 202-366-4054 penelope.weinberger@dot.gov.
Calendar of Events
6/23/2007 – 6/26/2007 National Association of Regional Councils 41st Annual Conference and Exhibition Orlando, FL. See www.narc.org
6/24/2007-6/27/2007
9th International Conference on Low-Volume Roads
Austin, TX
6/24/2007-6/27/2007 The Transportation Research Board 3rd Urban Street Symposium See www.trb.org/conferences/USS3/CFA.pdf Seattle, WA
7/7/2007-7/9/2007 TRB 2007 Joint Summer Meeting Chicago, Illinois
7/9/2007-7/11/2007 2007 Transportation Land Use & Air Quality Conference, Orlando, FL
7/13/2007 – 7/17/2007 National Association of Counties (NACo)
2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Greater Richmond Convention Center Richmond, Virginia
8/25/2007-8/28/2007 National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) 2007 Annual Training Conference Austin, Texas.
8/19/2007-8/21/2007 Meaningful Transit Input into Transportation Planning & Land Use; Best Practices, Denver CO
9/10/2007-9/12/2007 3rd National/1st International Conference on Performance Measurement, Irvine CA
9/7/2007-9/11/2007 11th Conference on National Scenic & Historic trails, Duluth Minnesota
9/18/2007-9/19/2007 Highway Data Workshop and Conference, Nashville, TN
9/27/2007- 10/1/2007 AASHTO 2007 Annual Conference Milwaukee, WI
10/1/2007 – 10/5/2007 AMPO 2007 AMPO Annual Conference Little Rock, AR
1/13/2008-1/17/2008 TRB 87th Annual Meeting Washington, D.C.
The information and articles in this newsletter are for your information and do not necessarily constitute policy positions of the Federal Highway Administration or Federal Transit Administration. The mention of commercial products, their source or their use in connection with material reported herein is not to be construed as either or actual or implied endorsement of such products.
For more information, review the following calendars for upcoming transportation events:
FHWA Planning, Environment and Realty Calendar
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/calendar.htm
FHWA Resource Center Calendar
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/calendar.htm
TRB Conferences & Workshops
http: www4.trb.org/trb/calendar.nsf
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