US Department of Transportation

FHWA PlanWorks: Better Planning, Better Projects

US Department of Transportation

FHWA Planworks: Better Planning, Better Projects

LRP-1: Approve Scope of LRTP Process

Long Range Transportation Planning

Description:

The scoping Key Decision involves a broad assessment of the data, decisions, and relationships to consider, acquire, or make throughout the entire long range transportation plan (LRTP) process. Decisions made at the scoping Key Decision in long range planning inform both corridor planning and environmental review by establishing the baseline information that will dictate those subsequent processes. This is a key point to form new or acknowledge existing relationships with partners in transportation decision-making and other decision-making processes such as land use, natural environment, human environment, capital improvement and safety and security.

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 develop a common understanding and reach agreement on the LRTP process, including all information relevant to transportation, community, and the environment. This includes stakeholders to engage; roles and responsibilities; tools and data sources to be used; timeframes; and public involvement plan.

Outcome

Documented agreement on the LRTP process and its elements, including transportation conformity in nonattainment and maintenance areas for the transportation-related pollutants. This agreement can be used as a foundation when starting the corridor planning and environmental review processes.
Confirmation that the transportation process is in agreement with the larger community plans and programs.

Partner	Role Type	Description
MPO	Decision Maker	Ensures LRTP development that is broadly inclusive and considers both the human and natural environment of the region.
FHWA/FTA	Advisor	Ensures the process is inclusive and meets federal requirements.
State DOT	Advisor	Ensures that LRTP development meets federal requirements and incorporates the state's interests as appropriate.
Resource Agency	Advisor	Agree to collaborate in long range planning and ensure appropriate information is brought forward and used, including the ecological planning region, ecological goals and priorities.
Public Transportation Operator(s)	Advisor	Ensures that LRTP incorporates transit interests as appropriate.

Links to Decisions

This table identifies the connection to other Key Decisions. The linkages highlight the importance of collaboration across transportation phases. Practitioners are encouraged to document the basis of the decision and consider information from previous Key Decisions.

Transportation Phases	Key Decision	What is Linked?	Purpose of Linkage
To Programming	PRO-1 - Approve Revenue Sources	The identification of potential partnerships	To provide information about revenue sources.
To Corridor Planning	COR-1 - Approve Scope of Corridor Planning Process	The background information on initial identification of partners and data	To inform the scope of the corridor planning process
To Environmental Review/NEPA Merged with Permitting	ENV-1 - Reach Consensus on Scope of Environmental Review	Information about the scope of the LRTP	To inform the scope of the environmental review process

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	Are there emerging issues? What major changes have occurred since the last plan? What are the potential opportunities or challenges that might come up with respect to other plans/programs in progress? Who are our proponents and opponents? Is the existing public involvement plan sufficient to support full stakeholder engagement?
Programming	For projects involving innovative financing and/or non-traditional revenue sources, is the required expertise available? Have potential funding partners been identified? What funding programs are available? Are there potential funding partners to consider?
Corridor Planning	Are there active or completed corridor studies to inform the LRTP update?
Environmental Review	Is there agreement on the planning region with respect to ecological assessment?
Bicycles and Pedestrians	Is the scope set up to consider bicycle and pedestrian network connectivity, barriers, connections to transit and other modes, accessibility for people with disabilities and linkages to jobs, schools, and community services? Are there federal, state, local or regional bicycle pedestrian or trail plans that can be incorporated? Are there local, regional, or State Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plans that can be incorporated? Which bicycle and pedestrian stakeholders should be at the table?
Capital Improvement	Have capital improvement planners been informed of the long-range plan update and invited to participate? What information is available about capital improvement plans, including projects and available funding?
Economic Development	Is there agreement on the planning region with respect to assessing economic impacts? Has a need for additional funding and revenue sources been identified in economic plans/policies? Have all sources of economic data and information on performance indicators been identified?
Freight	Is the scope broad enough to consider freight movement? Is the region significantly impacted by freight movement? If so, what corridors or subareas are most heavily impacted? Are there areas that are particularly problematic for freight movement? Is there an existing freight advisory group that can be re-engaged? If not, should this be initiated at this time? Which freight stakeholders should be involved in the planning process? How will the process integrate or interact with national and State freight planning processes?
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	Are existing tools and data resources sufficient to support the proposed method of GHG analysis? If not, what additional data/resources will be needed to support the desired method of GHG analysis? Are there requirements that will influence how GHG emissions will be considered, (for example, state climate action plan and/or Federal GHG inventory or reduction requirements)? Does the consideration of GHG emissions have bearing on other objectives - (energy, congestion, smart growth, others)? What are the specific years of interest for the GHG analysis? Have data for those years been received?
Health in Transportation	Do decision makers recognize public health as an important transportation issue? If not, will identifying benefits, strong community support, or other factors increase support? Have any existing plans, partnerships, or relationships that support integrating health been identified (e.g., Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Toward Zero Deaths, or Health in All Policies)? Are there any existing studies or assessments of the relationship between health and transportation in the region? If so, how can these studies be used as guides? Have all the potential health stakeholders been identified and invited, including those with relevant information and perspectives for assessing and addressing the community’s health needs and priorities? Has a communication plan been developed with identified points in the planning process when it will be most beneficial to have the advice, expertise, and perspective of health stakeholders? In general, what transportation-related health issues identified at the outset are relevant in the region? Examples may include safety, air quality, physical activity, noise, equitable access to community resources and opportunities, health equity, or other issues identified by community and health stakeholders.
Human Environment and Communities	How will the community be represented and participate in the planning process? What do we know about low-income, disabled, and minority populations or other specific groups to engage? What information is available about the human environment, important features, and interests?
Land Use	Have the appropriate land use stakeholders been identified and invited to participate? Have land use patterns and growth forecasts been considered in defining the planning region for analysis? How will land use partnerships, political context, and land use planning constraints influence the scope? Is there political will to implement land use changes in the region?
Linking Planning and Operations	Are there local operational strategies in place that can be built upon to create a regional operational approach? Are there operational partners/stakeholders to include? Is there a regional concept of operations or an operations related plan?
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	Is there a formal interagency conservation and transportation partnership agreement?
Performance Measures	What performance measures have been used in the past? Are they still appropriate? Are any agreements in place regarding regional support for state and National Goals? What data is readily available and what new data must be collected? How might planning partners assist in data or analysis?
Planning and Environment Linkages	Are there active or completed PEL studies that may inform the scope?
Public Private Partnerships	Is there public and political support for tolling, especially tolling by a private company, in the region? Is there existing legislation that supports the use of revenue generation strategies in a private concession or other P3 arrangement? If not, are decision makers considering such legislation? Is there a state or regional agency/department that assists with revenue generation projects to serve as a trusted advisor? Has prior experience with revenue generation strategies in the region (or in other regions) been considered? If there is no interest or ability to support revenue generation strategies such as tolling or value capture taxation during development of the long-range plan, has this been documented for potential consideration during project development?
Public Transportation	Have modal partners been identified and invited to participate? Are there modal stakeholders that should be included?
Safety	What safety planning is available to inform development of the long range plan? Have safety partners been notified of the plan update and invited to participate?
Stakeholder Collaboration	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity	What is the transportation conformity deadline? Is there an emissions budget for the region?
Visioning and Transportation	Is there a community vision or goals to consider from an external visioning process? If so, what is the preferred vision?

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	Enablers and constraints on the planning process Federal requirements for LRTP updates and schedule required to meet deadlines Previous long range transportation plan Full range of identified stakeholders to include in the process. Stakeholder perspectives coming into the planning process Public involvement plan or policy
Programming	Project detail information from those projects currently in development or construction Potential funding sources/partners Innovative financing mechanisms to fund projects in the LRP Funding available for LRTP development
Corridor Planning	Small area and corridor plans Transportation planning (MPO, city, county, corridor) boundaries
Environmental Review	Risks and potential risk mitigation strategies
Bicycles and Pedestrians	Bicycle and pedestrian data, including existing and proposed pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, injuries and fatalities, and volume/activity Estimating Bicycling and Walking for Planning and Project Development: A Guidebook (http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/171138.aspx) Multimodal data such as bicycle and greenway plans, trails plans, including recreation plans including Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, and other recent plans Any bicycle and pedestrian data that partners have to contribute, including pedestrian and bicycle counts, and crash/fatality data, such as that collected through the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, emergency rooms, and university health centers.
Capital Improvement	Capital improvement or development plans
Economic Development	Economic development visions or plans
Freight	Existing truck routes/rail lines Existing freight plans (e.g., State freight plans or congestion management elements related to freight) Specific projects implemented to address freight need Funding resources specific to freight List of freight stakeholder contacts Location of freight facilities
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	Availability of data and tools to support analysis Plans in the region that address GHG Public or political support for GHG reduction Analyze years of interest for GHG and other considerations GHG emissions source data Relevant rules and regulations that apply to GHG emissions
Health in Transportation	Assessment of agency, political, and public support for incorporating health Existing plans and studies that affect or assess health in the region
Human Environment and Communities	Data from individual programs such as Safe Routes to School General information about communities in the region American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Planning activities and priorities identified in the state and local ADA Transition Plans Special populations to consider Federal and state resource agency contacts (for example, State Historic Preservation Office) Information from community visioning processes and/or comprehensive plans
Land Use	Enablers and constraints to implementation of land use plans Land use planning boundaries, patterns, and stakeholders Land use plans, policies, and philosophies (both local political jurisdiction and from land management agencies)
Linking Planning and Operations	Operations plans and partners, successful strategies, and operations related performance measures
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	Any funding sources identified through ecological planning Combined map of conservation, restoration, and enhancement priorities Ecological goals, memoranda of understanding, and other agreements Ecological partnerships that exist or are willing to initiate partnerships, relationships with resource agencies, and conservation NGOs Ecological plans that exist or are in planning
Performance Measures	Performance measures used or required Individual data types and the required analysis/tools to use these
Planning and Environment Linkages	Data from relevant PEL studies
Public Private Partnerships	Assessment of public and political support for revenue generation strategies such as tolling Rules and regulations relevant to revenue generation strategies in the P3 context , including necessary authorization Expert perspectives on issues related to project development through P3 arrangements for project delivery, funding, and finance
Public Transportation	Public transportation agency staff and available public transportation data Public transportation operating plans
Safety	Safety plans (i.e. Strategic Highway Safety Plan emergency management, State Homeland Security Program) Safety partners and stakeholders
Stakeholder Collaboration	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Visioning and Transportation	Vision and goals from an external process

Links to Applications

The interaction between transportation decision making and other planning processes will ensure that important values and goals outside the transportation process are recognized and considered. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Application	Description
Bicycles and Pedestrians	Decision by transportation decision makers to invite bicycle and pedestrian stakeholders to participate in long-range transportation planning, including low income, disabled, and minority populations. Bicycle and pedestrian partners and stakeholders agree to participate in long-range transportation planning.
Capital Improvement	At the scoping step, stakeholders and supporting information are identified for other community planning processes including Land Use, Economic Development, Bicycles and Pedestrians, and Public Transportation among other regional interests.
Economic Development	Through Stakeholder Collaboration, engage Freight and Public-Private Partnerships and other interests to understand the benefits and impacts of transportation on economic development. Understand what makes the region competitive, and how transportation can help or hinder economic vitality.
Freight	At this step, practitioners identify how freight and freight stakeholders will be considered during long-range plan development. Experience indicates that freight stakeholders prefer early involvement to ensure that the plan is compatible with existing freight data and plans, including any national or state freight plans. See the Land Use, Capital Improvement, Bicycles and Pedestrians, and Economic Development Applications for information on other plans that might interface with future freight movement in the region.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	Consider greenhouse gas interests in the region along with potential partners, stakeholders, and information that may be available.
Health in Transportation	The health stakeholders and considerations are likely to have overlaps with other Applications, including Safety, Bicycles and Pedestrians, Human Environment and Communities, Transportation Conformity, and Visioning and Transportation. Public Transportation connections may also be helpful.
Human Environment and Communities	At the beginning of the long range plan development, it is important to collect information about individual communities; their context, populations, and specific needs. This has a strong relationship to Stakeholder Collaboration and those topics typically considered during NEPA such as Natural Environment and Implementing Eco-Logical, Safety, Bicycles and Pedestrians, and Public Transportation. Health in Transportation may be a specific interest of individual communities.
Land Use	In developing the long-range plan, the MPO must consider the likely future land use changes over the planning period. By engaging Land Use partners directly in plan development, agreements can be reached that allow implementation of transportation solutions with supporting land use. This collaboration can take place with or without local land use plans and policies.Land use is also an essential consideration for Bicycles and Pedestrians, Freight, GHG Emissions, Human Environment and Communities, Health in Transportation, and Public Transportation.
Linking Planning and Operations	Incorporating an operational approach incorporating TSMO strategies into the scope of the LRTP can support a broad range of transportation goals and objectives-including Health in Transportation, Safety, and Transportation Conformity. Stakeholder Collaboration can help identify the potential benefits and support that TSMO can provide the region.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	There is an opportunity for a joint decision between decision makers in long range planning and partners from the ecological planning process to work together to maximize the ecological benefit and regulatory process efficiencies that can be achieved at this Key Decision. Any relationships formed between resource agencies, conservation NGOs and transportation agencies are recognized, reinforced, and strengthened. It may be beneficial to explore funding and long-term management options to support conservation, restoration, and long-term management at this point in the process.
Performance Measures	The Safety, Freight, Natural Environment and Implementing Eco-Logical, and Human Environment and Communities Applications will be highly relevant in considering performance measures for the LRTP. Economic Development, Bicycles and Pedestrians, and Public Transportation topics may be useful to consider in support of the National Goals and the planning factors. Linking Planning and Operations may have useful information to support reliability performance measures.
Planning and Environment Linkages	Identify relevant PEL studies and decide how they will be incorporated into the long range planning process. More detailed information may be available related to the corridor or subarea. For example, Land Use, Human Environment, Natural Environment, Economic Development, and Capital Improvement. Define the extent to which PEL will be utilized during plan development and how information will be documented
Public Private Partnerships	Considering revenue-generation strategies such as tolling or value capture taxation in long-range plan development is advantageous for success. However, political, legislative, and public support may be missing. For future consideration as improvement projects emerge, consider including this in a Planning and Environment Linkages study.
Public Transportation	Consider public transportation plans, available supporting information, and mutual interests in the region.
Safety	At this Key Decision, transportation practitioners and elected officials make a decision to invite safety partners to participate in long-range transportation planning. Safety partners agree to participate and provide data, analyses, and current plans to inform the process. The list of safety partners and stakeholders may be extensive and have cross-over interests in other topics. For example, Linking Planning and Operations (first responders);Bicycle and Pedestrian and Public Transportation safety; Freight stakeholders, and other groups specific to the local context.
Stakeholder Collaboration	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity	Engage with interagency partners and stakeholder interests representing the Human Environment and Natural Environment to fully understand air quality concerns, conformity requirements, and regional efforts to reduce emissions. Based on specific pollutants within the region, Health and Transportation may be relevant.
Visioning and Transportation	A vision developed outside the transportation decision-making structure will have many other considerations in addition to transportation. At scoping, practitioners will identify the relationship between visioning (whether active or completed) and the LRTP. Partnerships, baseline information, and commitments made in the visioning process can inform the LRTP and may be similar to those in Human Environment and Communities, Natural Environment and Implementing Eco-Logical, Health in Transportation, Land Use, Economic Development, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, depending on the values and interests of the region.

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:
I-5 Beltline Interchange Plan - Using Community Values as Performance Measures lrp-1

Other Examples:
Springfield's Pedestrian and Bicycle Network https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/network_report/page03.cfm
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts http://www.dvrpc.org/webmaps/PedBikeCounts/