Incorporating ITS into Transportation Planning: Phase 1 Final Report

This report has been prepared by Mitretek systems for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office Of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The report documents the first phase of an investigation of how to " mainstream " , or integrate, ITS planning into general transportation planning at the state, regional and local levels. Specifically described are the processes by which different projects are evaluated for investment decisions. The Study is based upon examination of transportaiton planning and programming in Houston, Texas and Seattle, Washington, two regions in which ITS deployments are well advanced. Characteristics of regional inter-project prioritization and preliminary recommendations for improving the Transportaion Improvements Planning (TIP) process are provided. Abstract Preface Acknowledge Executive Summary Table of Contents ii Abstract This report has been prepared by Mitretek Systems for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The report documents the first phase of an investigation of how to " mainstream " , or integrate, ITS planning into general transportation planning at the state, regional and local levels. Specifically described are the processes by which different projects are evaluated for investment decisions. The study is based upon examination of transportation planning and programming in Houston, Texas and Seattle, Washington, two regions in which ITS deployments are well advanced. Characteristics of regional inter-project prioritization and preliminary recommendations for improving the Transportation Improvement Planning (TIP) process are provided. iii Preface This report, originally completed in June 1996, has been revised by Mitretek Systems in order to address the comments of reviewers of the report, including FHWA and Seattle and Houston transportation professionals. Besides the editorial changes and corrections, the main changes in the revised report are in the improved presentation of the study context, along the major theme of how to " mainstream " , or integrate, ITS into the general transportation planning process at the state, regional and local levels. iv Acknowledgments The authors express their appreciation to the transportation planning staffs of the two case study regions, Houston, TX and Seattle, WA for their cooperation in allowing Mitretek to examine the planning process in their regions. Special thanks are due to Messrs. County Metro, for their willingness to provide time for discussions, and copies of descriptive documentation, to us. v Executive Summary Introduction The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has contracted …