SWUTC Research Project Description

Title of Project:  Developing Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures for TxDOT's Strategic Plan

Project Number: 0-5541

Principal Investigator:
Josias Zietsman
(979) 458-3476
P.I. Affiliation:  Texas A&M University

Project Monitor:
Janie Bynum
Texas Department of Transportation
(512) 463-8585

Project Status:  Active

Date Started:  9/1/06

Estimation Completion Date:  8/31/08

Estimated Cost - Current Fiscal:  $117,911

Estimated Cost - Total Planned:  $217,911

Project Summary:
Project Abstract:
Sustainable transportation can be viewed as the provision of safe, effective, and efficient access and mobility into the future while considering economic, social, and environmental needs. For the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to assess options and monitor progress toward achieving the goals of sustainable transportation it is essential that the underlying sustainability related goals and objectives be quantified and applied to project, corridor, and network levels for planning, implementation, operation, and maintenance.

The overall goal of this project is to develop sustainable transportation performance measures for TxDOT’s strategic goals and objectives as well as a framework for TxDOT to implement a sustainable transportation system in Texas. This proposed research project will address this goal by expanding on TxDOT’s current project "Evaluation Indices"to develop 1) a broad range of sustainable transportation performance measures, 2) develop a decision-making methodology(s), 3) develop a user-friendly Excel-based analysis tool, and 4) test the tool and the methodology at project, corridor, and small network levels. The tool will be immediately usable to TxDOT and will focus on (but is not limited to) system performance, project selection, and impact assessment. The tool will be applicable for project, corridor, and network levels and can be used in both urban and rural settings.

Project Objectives:
The proposed research project will produce a tool that is both easy to use and yet has the flexibility to address a wide range of performance measures to cover a broad range of applications such as system performance, project selection, and impact assessment.  The tool will be applicable for project, corridor, and network levels and can be used in both urban and rural settings.

Task Descriptions:
Task 1:  Scoping of Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures

Task 2:  Development of Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures Framework

Task 3:  Selection of Sustainable Performance Measures

Task 4:  Develop Analysis Tool for Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures

Task 5:  Pilot Test the Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures Analysis Tool

Task 6:  Prepare Final Products and Reports

Index Terms:
Sustainable Development, Access Control (Transportation), Mobility, Economic and Social Factors, Environmental Policy, Performance Evaluations, Decision Making, Impacts, Research Projects, Texas