Getting More Value from All Highway Data FHWA’s Current Initiatives and Future Plans

Getting More Value from All Highway Data

FHWA’s Current Initiatives and Future Plans

Presented at Data System Requirements and Gaps to Support Restructuring the National Surface Transportation Program ( Part 2) TRB 2011 Summer

Conference Boston, MA

Tianjia Tang, Ph.D., PEChief, Travel Monitoring and Surveys Division,

FHWA Office of Highway Policy InformationWashington, DC 20590

The New Thinking - Performance Management & Measurement

Performance Management of the Federal Highway Program is a systematic approach to making investment and strategic decisions using information about the condition and performance of the system and developing an approach to achieve a desired set of national goals

Performance Management

Agency Goal

Performance Measurement Matrix

Target Setting

Resource Allocation

Evaluate Progress and Products

Performance Management

Agency Goal

Performance Measurement Matrix

Target Setting

Resource Allocation

Evaluate Progress and Products

data

data

Our Thoughts on Data

Our data shall help us to establish and maintain a system where people can travel from one place to another safely, reliably, efficiently with affordability and sustainability.

Our Approach in Meeting Data Needs

Utilizing what we have effectively; and as the need arises, collect new data.

FHWA’s Infrastructure Data

Bridge: National Bridge Inventory (NBI)Roadway: Highway Performance and

Monitoring System (HPMS)

FHWA’s Traffic Data

Highway Performance and Monitoring System (HPMS)

Travel Monitoring and Analysis System (TMAS)

Vehicle Travel Information System – VTRIS (WIM – truck weight data)

Travel Time and Speed – All Interstates

FHWA’s Travel Behavior Data

National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) – why, how, and when we travel

FHWA’s Finance Data

The Fiscal Management Information System (FMIS) – tracking Federal-aid highway project at a project level

Highway Statistics – local, State and Federal expenditures on highways.

Other Transportation Data FHWA Has

•Licensed drivers•Registered vehicles•Fuel consumption•Freight ($ and tonnage)

What We Do Not Have Currently

Systematic linkages among all datasets in term of

1: Geo-spatial linkage2: Date and time linkage

What Data FHWA Currently Doesn't Have

•Long distance passenger travel origin destination data – travel behavior

•Future passenger travel demand data

Major FHWA Initiatives

1: Started a major initiative to develop linking mechanism among all data in terms of “geo-spatial location” and “time and date stamp.”

The goal:For any Federal-aid project, its location, specific

roadway link, is linked to operating and physical conditions, traffic data, investment time and date data, and $ amount information. The linkage shall enable pre/post and time series analysis without major data gathering effort.

Major FHWA Initiatives

2: Started a major initiative to develop a multimodal long distance passenger travel origin destination data.

The multimodal long distance OD data covers both the base year of 2008 and future year of 2040.

Major FHWA Initiatives

3: Currently is conducting a reassessment on finance data collection and processing.

4: Wrapping up VMT forecasting tools for both national and State level geography

Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS)• Informs thinking on the size &

composition of the Federal-aid highway program (C&P report etc.)

• Projects conditions and performance of highway system at alternative assumed levels of investment

• Estimates economically warranted level of investment

• HERS-ST, state-level version

HERS Data Issues•HPMS database

▫ under-represents off-system highways▫ITS features not reported

•Need to re-estimate vehicle operating cost equations using more recent data

•Current work to incorporate impacts of pavement maintenance (non-capital) expenditures

Economic Impact Analysis•FHWA now exploring tools for estimating

macroeconomic impacts of highway investments

•Models of the U.S. economy rely on input-output tables produced by BEA

•Own-account transportation remains a data challenge

National Highway Construction Cost Index•Recently replaced old FHWA Bid Price

Index•Relies on proprietary database •Potential for use in forecasting highway

construction costs

Using what data we have effectively

Requires fully understanding the data!

Thank you!

Tianjia Tang, Ph.D., PEChief, Travel Monitoring and Surveys Division,

FHWA Office of Highway Policy InformationWashington, DC 20590

Thank you!

David LuskinEconomist, Investment & Economic Analysis Team

FHWA Office of Highway Transportation Policy Studies,

Washington, DC 20590