Integrating Operations into Planning and Programming
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) promote the use of an objectives-driven, performance-based approach to planning for operations as an effective way to integrate operations into planning and programming.
Key topics in this area are:
- Regional Goals
- Setting Operations Objectives
- Management and Operations Strategies
- Programming and Funding for Operations
- Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O) Plans
- Communicating with Decisionmakers
An Objectives-Driven, Performance-Based Approach
This approach focuses on both short-term and long-term system performance, using established system performance measures rather than simply focusing on implementation of projects as a measure of success. It can be applied to both metropolitan and statewide transportation planning processes.
The approach emphasizes consensus and collaboration across modes and jurisdictions and between planners and operators to help ensure that regional transportation investment decisions reflect the consideration of available strategies and approaches to meet a region’s transportation goals and objectives.
An objectives-driven, performance-based approach to planning for operations is based on the concept that “what gets measured gets managed.” Investments are made with a focus on their contribution to meeting regionally agreed-upon objectives. By implementing this approach, resources are allocated more effectively to meet performance objectives, resulting in improved transportation system performance.
The current Federal transportation legislation “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP-21), signed into law July 6, 2012, advances statewide and metropolitan planning processes to incorporate a more comprehensive performance-based approach to decisionmaking.
OTHER RESOURCES
- Advancing Transportation Systems Management and Operations Through Scenario Planning (HTML, PDF 1.2MB) - The intent of this primer is to inform planners, operators, and other transportation systems management and operations (TSM&O) partners on the potential use of scenario planning to advance TSM&O. (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-16-016, October 2015).
- The How: Case Studies Advancing Planning for Operations
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- Capital District Transportation Committee Albany, New York, Case Study (HTML, PDF 323KB) - Placing the Congestion Management Process in the Context of Metropolitan Transportation Planning Goals and Objectives
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Philadelphia Metropolitan Region, Case Study (HTML, PDF 305KB) - Planning for Congestion Management and Tracking Progress
- The Denver Region Traffic Signal System Improvement Program Case Study (HTML, PDF 324KB) - Planning for Management and Operations (Denver, Colorado area)
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission San Francisco Bay Area Case Study (HTML, PDF 455KB) - Developing Regional Objectives and Performance Measures to Improve System Operations (San Francisco Bay Area, California)
- Pima Association of Governments Case Study (HTML, PDF 402KB) - Regional Concept for Transportation Operations Fosters Planning For Operations in the Tucson Metropolitan Area
- Wilmington Area Planning Council New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland Case Study (HTML, PDF 340KB) - A Performance-Based Approach to Integrating Congestion Management into the Metropolitan Planning Process (Newark, Delaware area)
- Statewide Opportunities for Integrating Operations, Safety and Multimodal Planning: A Reference Manual (HTML, PDF 1.8MB)
- The Use of Operations Objectives and Performance Measures in Private and Public Organizations (HTML, PDF 82KB)
