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OCR for page 17
Technical Guidance for SWCP 17
Identify Study Corridors
Step Reason
This step uses the criteria established to identify
state-significant corridors and applies them either
directly or with a weighting scheme to establish a
prioritized list of corridors for study or analysis.
9. Applying the criteria This prioritization can be organized in absolute
used to identify the ranking (e.g., 1 to 10) or possibly by tiers (e.g., 1 to
corridor network, 5 in Tier 1, 6 to 14 in Tier 2, etc.). A tiered
prioritize the corridors approach provides some flexibility in proceeding
in order of greatest with corridor studies or analyses to best meet state
urgency of need for a needs (e.g., any corridor study in Tier 1 should be
comprehensive corridor undertaken as soon as possible).
study or analysis. In some cases, numerical scoring does not reflect
all of the factors that might influence the need for a
particular corridor study; therefore, the state DOT
should provide opportunities in the prioritization
criteria to address other qualitative factors.
In some cases, the corridor analysis might be very
general, simply using readily available data (such
as functional classification or traffic volumes) to
identify problem areas and potential solutions
without project-level detail. Thus, the state should
be able to complete the corridor studies quickly.
In other situations, a corridor study that produces
10. Establish a corridor
very specific project recommendations (and
study strategy and
perhaps addresses environmental concerns, modal
schedule to conduct
alternatives, or other issues) will take a longer time
corridor studies over a
and most likely a larger budget. It is not likely that
pre-determined cycle.
a state DOT has the resources to conduct numerous
comprehensive corridor studies at the same time.
The SWCP process is a continuous one that cycles
through different corridors over many years. This
step may require a multi-year strategy for
undertaking major studies of all corridors listed as
part of the study prioritization process.
11. Coordinate with the
state DOT's planning This step identifies the study management
partners in establishing responsibility and the roles of each agency, as well
study roles and as the budget contribution of the participating
responsibilities. If partners. Often, the state DOT itself would manage
necessary, establish a a corridor study. However, the lead agency might
memorandum of also be an MPO, an RPO, or a modal agency. For
understanding to define example, in urban areas having multimodal needs,
the respective roles. it is likely that MPOs and transit agencies would be
partners in corridor studies.
Conduct Corridor Studies (Elements Related
to the SWCP Approach)
Establish Organizing Principles and Institutional Structure
Step Reason
Statewide plan development may rely heavily on
corridor studies that have been done previously.
12. Define level of corridor
Such studies for other corridors can be costly and
analysis to be used in time consuming, so conducting timely studies for
the corridor study all corridors may not be feasible for plan
process. development. Other methods may allow a state
DOT to address all corridors in a shorter timeframe
and at a lower cost (see Appendix B), so the level
of effort should be defined at the outset. However,
major corridor studies may eventually be desired
for all corridors in the SWCP process, so much of
this guidance has been developed to address that
expectation.
OCR for page 18
18 A Guidebook for Corridor-Based Statewide Transportation Planning
Step Reason
Given the importance of corridor study results to
the statewide transportation planning process, it is
important that similar management structures be
used in all of the studies. For example, a standard
procedure might include both a DOT district and
central planning staff member for each corridor
study to promote consistency with state guidelines.
The project decision team or advisory groups could
13. Establish a common also include representatives from transit agencies;
corridor study other modal agencies (e.g., a port or airport
management or authority); regional planning organizations;
advisory structure to be industry stakeholders; local governments; and so
used for corridor forth.
studies. If the study includes a preliminary environmental
assessment for larger scale projects, it could be
worthwhile to include representatives from
environmental resource agencies or interests as a
member of the advisory structure. This step does
not require that every corridor management
structure will be the same. Indeed, they will most
likely be different, given the different contexts and
constituencies found in each corridor.
Every corridor study has some form of public
involvement, local consultation, and resource
agency coordination aimed at soliciting input into
14. Incorporate issues of the study. Major state issues need to be addressed
state significance into in these efforts. Many studies develop the public
public involvement involvement strategy as part of the initial steps in
materials and outreach planning. Materials are produced for public
efforts. dissemination and presentations are prepared for
public meetings. It is important that the materials
used in this program reflect the issues of state
significance that have been identified a priori.
Identification of Vision, Goals, and Performance Measures
Step Reason
15. Prepare and use This step is very important for establishing the
templates that can be crucial state issues to be addressed in the corridor
incorporated into the study. It is not likely that the vision and goals
vision, goals, and statement would be significantly different from
performance measures those produced by the corridor study, anyway.
identified for each However, a set of common performance measures
corridor study that for all corridor studies is crucial for establishing
reflect state interests. statewide consistency. The state template would be
included in the process guidelines adopted at the
beginning of the SWCP effort.
Problem Identification
Step Reason
State DOTs often have some policy or problem
16. Prepare and use areas that merit more detailed attention. One way of
templates that can be accomplishing this is to require one or more
incorporated into the performance measures unique to the specific
problem identification problem area. However, another way is to require
phase of the corridor specific types of performance issues or even
planning process strategies. For example, a state DOT could require
relating to policy or identification of problem areas that affect freight
problem areas of state movement, place first priority on pavement and
significance. bridge condition, or provide a standard method for
consideration of transit options.
OCR for page 19
Technical Guidance for SWCP 19
Step Reason
This step provides an early warning system for
projects that might need extra attention due to
17. Identify
potential environmental harm. Many DOTs have
environmentally
adopted procedures and processes aimed at
sensitive areas in which
avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating environmental
extra effort must be
impacts. This step could be implemented through
made to consider
state guidelines on what to look for in corridor
potential impacts that
studies to identify environmental "hotspots." This
could result in
guidance could also provide information on NEPA
environmental harm.
and state environmental law provisions that should
be considered as the corridor study proceeds.
Alternatives Identification and Analysis
Step Reason
As a follow-up to the identification of common
problem areas, this step identifies the types of
18. Identify the types of alternatives or strategies that should be considered
alternatives that are of in the corridor study. For example, the state DOT
interest to the state could require the consideration of operations
DOT and include them strategies before more capital-intensive actions are
in the SWCP process undertaken; the DOT might require the
guidelines. identification of opportunities for using ITS
technologies or consideration of transit strategies in
highly urbanized corridors.
19. Establish common This step promotes consistency among the corridor
standards or studies by providing common standards or tools
approaches for that can be used in the corridor analysis. For
analyzing specific types example, if a statewide travel demand model exists,
of alternatives, use of the statewide model estimates in the travel
especially those corridor could be recommended. Similarly,
identified as being of economic analysis tools (such as REMI or HERS)
state interest. could also be required as standard procedures in the
study process to determine relative economic
benefits.
Project and Corridor Evaluation
Step Reason
Given the importance of the evaluation results to
prioritizing projects from different corridor studies,
20. Establish a set of this step will ensure that a subset of the corridor
common evaluation study evaluation criteria will be common for all
criteria on state issues studies. However, some "types" of corridors may
of greatest concern. have very specific criteria related to the context of a
particular study (e.g., tourism, freight,
environmental sensitivity, etc.).
This step will specify the use of common
evaluation methods for comparative assessment of
the alternatives under consideration. For example,
the use of benefit/cost analysis might be required
21. Identify common
for all major projects, which could give a consistent
methods to be used in
basis for comparing projects from different corridor
evaluation.
studies (such as for safety projects), or the same
scoring scheme could be applied for assigning
assessment values to categories of projects or
potential environmental or community impacts.
22. Provide guidance or a
One of the most important steps (but one that is
template on the
most often done inconsistently) is the estimation of
assumptions and
project costs. To compare project viability among
approaches to be used
corridors and projects, it is important to provide a
in estimating project
common approach for estimating project costs.
costs.
