Effective Methods for Setting Transportation Performance Targets

In 2012, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) established national performance management requirements for state departments of transportation (DOTs). Successive legislation, regulation, and guidance have reinforced these requirements in the Transportation Performance Management (TPM) framework, with its seven national performance goals and related performance measures within three measure areas: safety (PM1); pavement and bridge condition (PM2); and travel time reliability, congestion, and emissions (PM3).  State DOTs are required to establish performance targets for each performance measure and to regularly report on progress towards meeting those targets. In addition, some states have developed additional, non-TPM measures and targets to manage their safety, asset management, system performance, and other program areas. Performance targets can be established using quantitative or qualitative methods, or some combination of both methods. For example, a quantitative method could use historical data to project a trend line. A qualitative method may establish a target based on factors such as agency leadership priorities. An example of a combined approach is adjusting trend data for fatalities and serious injuries with stakeholder perspectives to establish a Vision Zero safety target. Combined approaches can also be risk-based; a state DOT may adjust projections to account for funding scenarios or uncertainty in the capacity of the state DOT and/or partner agencies to deliver the planned program. Additionally, some targets may be defined by state statute. Any of these methods can result in a target that reflects a desired outcome and allows for ongoing evaluation of progress towards attaining the target using performance-based decision making and performance reporting. However, establishing targets presents a number of challenges. Reliance on historical trend data can result in a target that cannot account for unforeseen events, such as severe weather that significantly increases winter maintenance costs or macroeconomic factors that affect transportation funding. These events require a state DOT to adjust their program, reallocating resources in ways that can affect progress towards a target. Some challenges are more technical in nature. For example, state DOT understanding and interpretation of federal guidance on calculation procedures has periodically changed, such as how to round calculated values or how to handle overlapping Traffic Management Channel (TMC) segments or segments that are only partly on the National Highway System (NHS). These changes in calculation methods can shift trends or targets that were established using prior calculation methods. The objective of this research was to develop and disseminate a practitioner-ready guidebook for state DOTs that is focused on methods for the target-setting component of transportation performance management. The guidebook  provides information on selecting effective methods that use both qualitative and quantitative sources to establish performance targets. The guidebook also addresses how to re-evaluate targets, taking into account unforeseen changes impacting the transportation system, performance data, and performance reporting requirements.   

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4788
• Supplemental Notes:
  • A pre-publication version of the guide is available at: https://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/182856.aspx

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $500000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 23-07

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Hartell, Ann

• Performing Organizations:

  ICF Incorporated LLC

  9300 Lee Highway
  Fairfax, VA  United States  22031
• Principal Investigators:

  Grant, Michael

• Start Date: 20200612
• Expected Completion Date: 20221230
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Forecasting; Guidelines; Implementation; Methodology; Performance measurement; State departments of transportation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01707531
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 23-07
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jun 5 2019 12:18PM