congestion management process

Transcription

1 congestion management process c o r p u s c h r i s t i m e t r o p o l i t a n p l a n n i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization 602 N. Staples Street, Suite 300 Corpus Christi, Texas Phone: ccmpo@cctxmpo.us Website: corpuschristi-mpo.org

2 congestion management process c o r p u s c h r i s t i m e t r o p o l i t a n p l a n n i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n In Coopera on with City of Corpus Chris City of Portland Nueces County San Patricio County Port of Corpus Chris Corpus Chris Regional Transporta on Authority Texas Department of Transporta on - Corpus Chris District The prepara on of this report has been financed in part through grant[s] from the Federal Highway Administra on and Federal Transit Administra on, U.S. Department of Transporta on, under the State Planning and Research Program, Sec on 505 [or Metropolitan Planning Program, Sec on 104(f)] of Title 23, U.S. Code. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of the U.S. Department of Transporta on. Approved by the Transporta on Policy Commi ee - April 6, 2017

3 OVERVIEW congestion management process The (CMP), as defined by federal regulation, is a systematic process that provides safe and effective integrated management and operation of the multimodal transportation system. A CMP is required in metropolitan areas with population exceeding 200,000, known as Transportation Management Areas (TMAs). As a TMA, the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization s (MPO) CMP is intended to serve as an organized and transparent framework for identifying and addressing the root causes of congestion in the metropolitan transportation system. In so much as congestion is a function of inefficiency in the transportation system, all of the activities undertaken by an MPO to enhance transportation efficiency from travel demand management to capital infrastructure projects fall under the CMP. The CMP model includes: 1. Development of regional objectives 2. Identify the geography of the CMP Network 3. Development of multimodal performance measures 4. Collection of data and system performance monitoring 5. Analysis of congestion problems and needs 6. Identification and assessment of CMP strategies 7. Programming and implementation of the strategies 8. Evaluation of CMP strategies BACKGROUND MAP-21 The 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century (MAP 21) calls for a CMP that is an integral component of metropolitan transportation planning with a strong emphasis on the system reliability and congestion reduction. The final rule on the required components of a CMP states: Transportation planning in a TMA shall address congestion management through a process that provides for safe and effective integrated management and operation of the multimodal transportation system, based on a cooperatively developed and implemented metropolitan-wide strategy, of new and existing transportation facilities eligible for funding under Title 23 U.S.C. and Title 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 through the use of travel demand reduction and operational management strategies. The development of a CMP should result in multimodal system performance measures and strategies that can be reflected in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The level of system performance deemed acceptable by State and local transportation officials may vary by type of transportation facility, geographic location (metropolitan area or subarea), and/or time of day. In addition, consideration should be given to strategies that manage demand, reduce single occupant vehicle (SOV) travel, and improve transportation system management and operations in a manner where those strategies can be evaluated for effectiveness. Where the addition of general purpose lanes is determined to be an appropriate congestion management strategy, explicit consideration is to be given to the incorporation of appropriate features into the SOV project to facilitate future demand management strategies and operational improvements that will maintain the functional integrity and safety of those lanes. 1

4 2 The CMP shall be developed, established, and implemented as part of the metropolitan transportation planning process that includes coordination with transportation system management and operations activities. The congestion management process shall include: A. Methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multimodal transportation system, identify the causes of recurring and non-recurring congestion, identify and evaluate alternative strategies, provide information supporting the implementation of actions, and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented actions; B. Definition of congestion management objectives and appropriate performance measures to assess the extent of congestion and support the evaluation of the effectiveness of congestion reduction and mobility enhancement strategies for the movement of people and freight. Since levels of acceptable system performance may vary among local communities, performance measures should be tailored to the specific needs of the area and established cooperatively by the State(s), affected MPOs, and local officials in consultation with the operators of major modes of transportation in the coverage area; C. Establishment of a coordinated program for data collection and system performance monitoring to define the extent and duration of congestion, to contribute in determining the causes of congestion, and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of implemented actions. To the extent possible, this data collection program should be coordinated with existing data sources (including archived operational/intelligent Transportation System [ITS] data) and coordinated with operations managers in the metropolitan area; D. Identification and evaluation of the anticipated performance and expected benefits of appropriate congestion management strategies that will contribute to the more effective use and improved safety of existing and future transportation systems based on the established performance measures. E. Identification of an implementation schedule, implementation responsibilities, and possible funding sources for each strategy (or combination of strategies) proposed for implementation; and F. Implementation of a process for periodic assessment of the effectiveness of implemented strategies, in terms of established performance measures. The results of this evaluation shall be provided to decision makers and the public to provide guidance on selection of effective strategies for future implementation. State laws, rules, or regulations pertaining to congestion management systems or programs may constitute the congestion management process, if the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) find that the State laws, rules, or regulations are consistent with, and fulfill the intent of, the purposes of Title 23 U.S.C. 134 and Title 49 U.S.C FAST Act The FAST Act upholds the requirement for a congestion management process for MPOs that serve a TMA and provides additional examples of travel demand reduction strategies for congestion management. The FAST Act establishes and funds new programs to support critical transportation projects to ease congestion and facilitate the movement of freight on the Interstate System and other major roads: National Multimodal Freight Policy The FAST Act establishes a national policy of maintaining and improving the condition and performance of the National Multimodal Freight Network ( the Network ), described below, to

5 ensure that the Network provides a foundation for the U.S. to compete in the global economy. The FAST Act specifies goals associated with this national policy related to the condition, safety, security, efficiency, productivity, resiliency, and reliability of the Network, and also to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of freight movement on the Network. These goals are to be pursued in a manner that is not burdensome to State and local governments. [49 U.S.C ] National Highway Freight Program [1116] The FAST Act includes an estimated average of $1.2 billion per year for a new National Highway Freight Program, which is focused on improving the efficient movement of freight on the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN). Funds are distributed to States by formula for eligible activities, such as construction, operational improvements, freight planning, and performance measurement. Although the program is highway-focused, each State may use up to 10 percent of its NHFP funds for each fiscal year for public or private freight rail, water facilities (including ports), and intermodal facilities. Beginning December 4, 2017, a State must have a State Freight Plan (compliant with 49 U.S.C and approved by DOT) in order to obligate NHFP funds. National Highway Freight Network [1116] The FAST Act requires FHWA to establish a National Highway Freight Network, to include the Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS), critical rural and urban freight corridors (as designated by the States, and in some cases, by MPOs), and the portions of the Interstate System not included in the PHFS. After the initial designation, FHWA must re-designate the PHFS every five years, with up to three percent growth each time. FASTLANE grants (Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects) [1105] In addition to the new formula freight program, the FAST Act also establishes a discretionary competitive grant program of $4.5 billion over five years to provide financial assistance to nationally and regionally significant highway, rail, port, and intermodal freight and highway projects. DOT refers to this program as FASTLANE grants (Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies). Under the program, States, large MPOs, Tribes, localities, and Federal land management agencies may apply for grants for projects, which generally must have a total cost of at least $100 million. Each year, a minimum amount of funds must be used for rural projects (25 percent) and projects under the $100 million cost threshold (10 percent). Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program [6004] The FAST Act establishes this program to fund eligible entities model deployment sites for largescale implementation and operation of a diverse set of advanced transportation technologies in various geographic regions. Program purposes are to reduce costs and improve return on investments, deliver environmental benefits through increased mobility, improve transportation system operations, improve safety, improve collection and dissemination of real-time information, monitor transportation assets, deliver economic benefits, and accelerate deployment of connected/autonomous vehicle technologies. FHWA will award five to ten grants each year, with a maximum grant size of $12 million and a maximum Federal share of 50 percent. States, local governments or other political subdivisions, transit agencies, large MPOs (representing 200,000 or more population), multijurisdictional groups, and consortia of research or academic institutions may apply. Funding for this program (a total of $60 million for each of FY ) is set aside from HRD, TIDP, and ITS. 3

6 PRIORITIZATION OF CONGESTION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Prioritization of congestion management strategies i.e. the activities undertaken to improve efficiency in the metropolitan transportation system is a function of the relative return to the community per unit investment. MAP 21 defines a hierarchy of congestion management strategies: Demand management measures, including growth management and congestion pricing Traffic operational improvements Public transportation improvements ITS technologies as related to the regional ITS architecture Where necessary, additional system capacity MAP 21 and the Fixing America s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act define a clear imperative: given the limited availability of capital resources to support transportation improvements and given the community impacts (social and environmental) of expanding capacity for single occupancy vehicles, it is incumbent upon MPOs to: 1. Employ a transparent, defensible, performance based process for prioritizing investments in transportation improvements 2. Periodically evaluate the functionality of the multimodal transportation system overall with respect to overarching regional objectives As such, the MPO staff, member entities, and regional partners have worked collaboratively to identify a suite of performance metrics. As detailed in Tables 1A and 1B, these metrics will be used to evaluate progress in each of four Goal Areas for metropolitan transportation improvements. Project scale (Table 1A) metrics will be used to evaluate and compare the projected return on investment (in terms of helping to meet regional transportation objectives) for proposed project expenditures in the MPO s long-range plan (MTP) System (Table 1B) scale metrics will be used to evaluate the functionality of the metropolitan transportation system at a given point in time. These metrics are organized into eight (8) Performance Measurement Topics, which speak to the overarching objectives of the MPO s overall work program. 4

7 Table 1A: Performance-based Planning Approach - PROJECT SCALE 5

8 Table 1B: Performance-based Planning Approach - SYSTEM-WIDE SCALE 6