Statewide Data and Information Systems Committee

Texas Transportation Institute Selected Projects of Interest
Reported by Bill Eisele, TTI

Statewide Transportation Data and Information Systems Committee

January 2005

 

Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plan

Background: Metropolitan areas across the state have experienced tremendous growth in the past decades without adequate funding to increase the capacity of the transportation system.
More than 12.4 million people or 60 percent of Texans live in the state's eight major metropolitan areas (populations exceeding 200,000): Austin, Corpus Christi, North Central Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth), El Paso, Lubbock, Hidalgo County (Lower Rio Grande Valley), Houston-Galveston, and San Antonio.

The Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plan increases local control of metropolitan transportation planning and mobility funding to reduce urban congestion and improve quality of life.

 

Facts
		To allow for better financial planning at the individual metropolitan-area level, TxDOT will change from allocating mobility funds on a per project basis to allocating funds to regional metropolitan areas.
		Implementation of these locally developed regional mobility plans will be through a regional, baseline allocation of TxDOT metropolitan mobility funds and locally determined and controlled "gap" funding. Each plan will include strategies to reduce congestion and improve mobility and overall system performance
		The Texas Transportation Commission will approve these implementation plans.
		Regional allocations will be based on a TxDOT assessment of traffic, population, and other factors.
		Each metropolitan area would be allocated a portion of the anticipated available metropolitan mobility funds for implementation of their approved regional mobility plans.
		The Texas Transportation Commission will determine the total available funds for metropolitan mobility baseline allocation using traditional forecasts of revenue and needs and the implementation of a fully secured state mobility fund. These funds will give metropolitan areas more control over the revenue needed to initiate costly transportation projects.
Effect:
		The plan will allow each of the metropolitan areas flexibility to develop local plans to fit their needs, anticipate realistic baseline allocation of funds, arrange for gap funding, and use new and improved methods to streamline delivery of transportation projects.

 

See: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/btg/

Contact: Tim Lomax, TTI, (979) 845-9960, t-lomax@tamu.edu

 

Mobility Monitoring Program

Cooperative Study by TTI and Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

 Sponsored by FHWA.  Objectives of monitoring mobility and reliability trends for FHWA performance monitoring purposes using archived traffic operations data and providing "proof of concept" and technical assistance to foster local/regional performance monitoring programs and the supporting data collection and archives.  Most recent report includes analysis of freeway mobility and reliability trends in 2002 for 23 cities.

See:  http://mobility.tamu.edu/mmp/

Contact: Shawn Turner, TTI, (979) 845-8829, shawn-turner@tamu.edu

  Rich Margiotta, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (865) 670-8516, ram@camsys.com

 

2004 Urban Mobility Report

Pooled fund study

 The 2004 Urban Mobility Report, released in September 2004, provides data on the performance of some of the transportation system in 85 urban areas.  Delay reduction due to access management treatments was added to the latest report.

 See:  http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/

Contact:  Dave Schrank, TTI, (979) 845-7323, d-schrank@tamu.edu

               Tim Lomax, TTI, (979) 845-9960, t-lomax@tamu.edu

 

Traffic and Performance Reporting in Maricopa County 

TTI is assisting the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) in developing report formats for traffic monitoring purposes.  MAG desires several pre-defined reports (consisting of either tables or graphics) that illustrate key traffic mobility and reliability trends and relationships.  MAG will use data obtained from selected Arizona DOT Freeway Management System (FMS) detectors on interstates and highways in the Phoenix region.  TTI is also processing the archived data and identifying/creating graphics/tables of selected traffic characteristics, performance measures, and detector quality.  A model data book of reporting formats is being developed that includes the reports and displays.  

Contact:  Bill Eisele or Shawn Turner, TTI

               Mark Schlappi, MAG, (602) 254-6300, Schlappi@mag.maricopa.gov

 

Implementing Statewide Operations Performance Measures in Oregon 

Sponsored by the Oregon Department of Transportation.  Included the development and implementation of statewide operations performance measures using HERS-ST and archived real-time data using procedures from the Urban Mobility Report.   

See:  http://mobility.tamu.edu/resources/

Contact:  Bill Eisele, TTI, (979) 845-8550, bill-eisele@tamu.edu

               Brian Gregor, ODOT, (503) 986-4120, Brian.J.Gregor@odot.state.or.us