US Department of Transportation

FHWA PlanWorks: Better Planning, Better Projects

US Department of Transportation

FHWA Planworks: Better Planning, Better Projects

ENV-5: Approve Evaluation Criteria, Methods and Measures

Environmental Review/NEPA Merged with Permitting

Description:

Evaluation criteria, methods and measures are used to compare how alternatives meet the purpose and need. The criteria used in long range planning and corridor planning may influence those used in environmental review. In some resource agency guidance, establishing performance measures is done prior to purpose and need. In this respect there is a strong connection between purpose and need, study area, and evaluation criteria/performance measures. Land use and capital improvement planning data are also analyzed so that the criteria and measures incorporated will ensure the alternatives are consistent with these plans. The evaluation criteria, methods and measures are developed with input and data from both partners and stakeholders, inlcuding interagency consultation on project-level analysis.

There is information developed in prior Key Decisions that informs this step.

Basics:

The first table describes the purpose and anticipated outcome of a Key Decision. If the decision is federally mandated, the purpose and outcome will relate to the legal intent.

The second table describes roles for key partners with legal decision making authority in the transportation process. The roles indicate the influence a partner can have on a decision, and show each partner where their input is most needed. For a full understanding of roles see the Partner Portal.

Purpose

To compare the ability of each alternative to address the purpose and need as well as supporting goals of the project.

Outcome

Specific criteria, methods and measures of performance for evaluating and comparing alternatives.

Partner Role Type Description
MPO Advisor Provides support as needed for consideration of evaluation methods to compare project alternatives.
FHWA/FTA Decision Maker Approves the evaluation criteria, methods and measures that will govern the comparison of alternatives.
State DOT Decision Maker Ensures the approved evaluation criteria allows full consideration of all reasonable alternatives.
Resource Agency Advisor Support the identification and use of evaluation criteria, methods and measures that reflect resource agencies' vision, goals and priorities and are informed by ecological planning. State and local air agencies consultation on air quality evaluation criteria, methods, and measures.
Public Transportation Operator(s) Advisor Provides support as needed for consideration of evaluation methods to compare project alternatives.

Questions to Consider

Questions are a way to gather input from partners and stakeholders that can be used to inform the decision. Decision makers can discuss the questions provided to ensure a broad array of interests are considered to support a collaborative process. Questions also allow staff to collect stakeholder interests, ensure these are included in the decision, and provide a response based on the decision outcome. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Category Questions to Consider
Long Range Planning
  • Has the development of the criteria considered that from the LRTP?
Programming
  • Programming 19 No specific questions
Corridor Planning
  • Has the development of the criteria considered that from the corridor plan?
Environmental Review
  • Are the evaluation criteria and performance measures broad enough to differentiate between alternatives?
  • Are there data, tools, and analysis capabilities available to use the proposed criteria, methodologies, and measures?
  • Do the data, tools, and technical capability exist to conduct a NEPA level analysis of the above impacts?
  • Do the criteria and methodology capture all aspects of the purpose and need?
  • Do the evaluation criteria and measures reflect a balance of transportation and other community planning factors?
  • Does the methodology limit the review of alternatives?
  • Do the selected evaluation criteria, methods, and measures address all transportation problems identified?
  • Do partners agree on the criteria and methodology?
Bicycles and Pedestrians
  • Have evaluation criteria, methods, and measures been identified that adequately measure the potential impacts of alternatives on bicycle and pedestrian network connectivity and accessibility?
Capital Improvement
  • Do existing capital improvement plans use any evaluation criteria, methods, or measures that would be helpful for this purpose?
  • Is the evaluation criteria adequate to evaluate consistency with capital improvement plans?
Economic Development
  • Have evaluation criteria, metrics, or measures related to economic development been considered?
  • Have all potential risk factors and affected parties been considered in defining economic development criteria and performance measures?
  • Are analytical methods/tools available to measure and evaluate economic vitality or competiveness?
Freight
  • Is freight data available to support the evaluation criteria?
  • Will criteria, methods, and measures allow comparison and ranking of projects based on their freight performance while also considering the impacts (beneficial or negative) of freight?
  • Do existing freight plans include evaluation criteria, methods, and measures that could be used?
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation
  • How have health and community stakeholders’ suggestions for criteria, methods, and measures been incorporated?
  • Are the evaluation criteria, methods, and measures sufficient for assessing how each alternative impacts health?
  • Are the evaluation criteria, methods, and measures compatible or consistent with those used in long-range planning, programming, corridor planning, or health-related plans and studies affecting the project area?
  • Does this agency or health partners have sufficient data and analysis capabilities to apply these criteria, methods, and measures?
Human Environment and Communities
  • Are evaluation criteria and measures included that will demonstrate how transportation choices impact the quality of life in the project study area?
  • How will the evaluation criteria demonstrate that alternatives are consistent with community values?
Land Use
  • Are data/tools available from land use and land use planning to inform the evaluation criteria?
  • Do the evaluation criteria, methods, and measures include consideration of smart growth principles, if applicable?
Linking Planning and Operations
  • Have evaluation criteria, methods, and measures been included that adequately identify the potential impacts and benefits of TSMO strategies?
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical
  • Are there evaluation criteria, metrics, or measures from ecological planning that should inform those used in environmental review?
  • How will the evaluation criteria demonstrate that alternatives will protect environmental quality?
  • How is the relative importance of resource types weighed and evaluated?
Performance Measures
  • Are metrics available from performance measurement on this facility or others in the study area?
  • Are there completed projects to use for comparison?
  • How do the selected criteria, methods, and measures support performance monitoring and reporting?
Planning and Environment Linkages
  • Have approved goals, evaluation criteria, methods, and measures from a PEL corridor planning or long range planning study been considered?
Public Private Partnerships
  • Are evaluation criteria related to financing, revenue generation, and project delivery included for evaluation of the effectiveness of P3 projects?
  • Have all potential risk factors and affected parties been considered in defining the evaluation criteria and performance measures for P3 projects?
  • Was private sector input used to develop the evaluation criteria and measures?
Public Transportation
  • Was private sector input used to develop the evaluation criteria and measures?
Safety
  • Are there evaluation criteria, metrics, or measures from safety to evaluate alternatives?
  • Will safety specialists provide support (tools, methods) for evaluating the alternatives?
Stakeholder Collaboration
  • What was heard from stakeholders regarding their expectations for the project?
  • Does stakeholder input reflect a diversity of interests?
  • How did stakeholder interests inform the evaluation criteria and measures?
  • What do stakeholders feel is important to evaluate alternatives?
Transportation Conformity
  • Will any hot-spot analysis take into account conformity requirements in the region?
    For conformity practices, please see the Application Reference Links.
Visioning and Transportation
  • Are evaluation criteria, methods, and measures consistent with priorities identified in visioning?

Data

The following list of data may be needed to support the Key Decision. Practitioners collect this information for decision makers to consider. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Category Data to Consider
Long Range Planning
  • Evaluation criteria, methods and measures from long range transportation plans
Programming
  • No specific data
Corridor Planning
  • Evaluation criteria, methods and measures from corridor plans
Environmental Review
  • Purpose and need
Bicycles and Pedestrians
  • Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, crashes, and volumes
    Guidebook for Developing Pedestrian and Bicycle Performance Measures
    http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/performance_measures_guidebook/
    Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation along Existing Roads—Active Trans Priority Tool Guidebook http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/172459.aspx
Capital Improvement
  • Information from capital improvement plans to inform evaluation methods
Economic Development
  • Data from existing economic development goals, plans, and policies to inform criteria and methods
  • Performance measures or metrics, and analytical methods to evaluate economic vitality or competitiveness
Freight
  • Freight-specific input for alternative comparison
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation
  • Health stakeholder and community input
  • Health-related evaluation criteria, methods, and measures used in other planning processes or studies affecting the project area
  • Available data and tools to support effective health-related analysis
  • Assessment of data analysis capabilities, either in-house or via health partners
Human Environment and Communities
  • Data to evaluate human environment impacts
  • Specific evaluation criteria related to equity, quality of life, sustainability, livability, and environmental justice impacts
Land Use
  • Local land use master/comprehensive plans, and data from land use and land planning
  • Indicators for induced development or travel demand
Linking Planning and Operations
  • TSMO metrics and measures
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical
  • Specific evaluation criteria, methods, and measures that have been identified for the natural environment
Performance Measures
  • Information about tools, technology, data adequacy, and capabilities available to support potential performance and evaluation of the alternatives
  • Monitoring results, as applicable
Planning and Environment Linkages
  • PEL study evaluation criteria, methods, and measures
Public Private Partnerships
  • Financial evaluation criteria for projects developed through a P3
  • Cost/benefits and risks data
Public Transportation
  • Public transportation networks and public transportation usage
Safety
  • Safety criteria, methods, and measures
Stakeholder Collaboration
  • Stakeholder perspectives and interests
Transportation Conformity
  • Guidance for hot-spot analysis (see Examples for Conformity Practices in the Application Reference Links)
Visioning and Transportation
  • Results from visioning processes relevant to the study area

Examples

In - depth case studies of successful practices in collaborative decision making were used to develop the Decision Guide.Links in this table point to a specific paragraph or section of a case study that supports a Key Decision. It is not necessary to read through an entire case study to find the example; however, full versions are available in the Library.

PlanWorks Case Study Examples:
US 75 North Central Expressway env-5

Other Examples:
None.