US Department of Transportation

FHWA PlanWorks: Better Planning, Better Projects

US Department of Transportation

FHWA Planworks: Better Planning, Better Projects

LRP-6: Approve Strategies

Long Range Transportation Planning

Description:

Strategies are developed to address the deficiencies identified in LRP-4. A strategy is a specific tactic or policy employed or recommended by an organization. Strategies could include road or multi-modal improvements, land use changes, and other means of addressing deficiencies.

There is information developed in prior Key Decisions that informs this step. In order to effectively execute this Key Decision there is essential information coming from the land use process related to land use strategies.

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 and evaluate groups of strategies relative to stated needs.

Outcome

A range of strategies to address transportation deficiencies and achieve vision and goals.

Partner	Role Type	Description
MPO	Decision Maker	Ensures that strategies reflect all reasonable options for meeting the identified needs.
FHWA/FTA	Advisor	Ensures that strategies are inclusive and reasonable to consider.
State DOT	Advisor	Ensures the process is inclusive, meets federal requirements, and is compatible with state needs and goals.
Resource Agency	Advisor	Support strategies that are sufficiently broad to consider indirect and cumulative impacts, avoidance and minimization of impacts to resources and are supportive of vision and goals developed with input from partners and stakeholders.
Public Transportation Operator(s)	Advisor	Ensures the process is inclusive and is compatible with transit needs and goals.

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 Corridor Planning	COR-1 - Approve Scope of Corridor Planning Process	The approved range of strategies	To provide a regional context of the range of strategies for the corridor
To Environmental Review/NEPA Merged with Permitting	ENV-1 - Reach Consensus on Scope of Environmental Review	The approved range of strategies	To provide a regional context of the range of strategies to inform the environmental review/ permitting phase

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	Is there broad support and/or an implementing sponsor for any individual strategy? What partners were involved in the development of the strategies? What type of analysis is required to support the evaluation of particular strategies? Do we have the necessary data and analysis techniques/tools to evaluate these strategies?
Programming	No specific questions
Corridor Planning	Are there corridor planning studies to inform with the approved strategies?
Environmental Review	Are there active projects to inform with the approved strategies? Can the strategies result in a broad range of project types?
Bicycles and Pedestrians	Do the strategies reflect bicycle and pedestrian network connectivity prioritization, proven safety countermeasures, and accessibility? What stakeholders, modal, and operational partners were involved in the development of strategies? What modal stakeholder input was considered in the development of strategies?
Capital Improvement	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development	Do the strategies minimize negative economic impacts overall? Do the strategies take into consideration future economic trends? Do the strategies consider local economic realities such as land capacity constraints, wages/affordability of the local population, and the interests of local business?
Freight	Do the proposed strategies consider the needs and long-range goals of freight stakeholders? Should the LRTP strategies include any strategies from existing freight plans?
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	Which GHG-reduction strategies have been found to be the most effective from a benefit-cost perspective? Which GHG-reduction strategies would be useful to meet any established targets? Which transportation strategies are most effective in meeting GHG goals?
Health in Transportation	What strategies will advance existing health plans and policies, address health disparities among populations, or improve the social determinants of health for disadvantaged populations? How do the potential strategies compare based on the selected evaluation criteria, methods, and performance measures? What strategies do health and community stakeholders support or oppose? Are there modifications to the strategies which can help to achieve the desired health outcomes?
Human Environment and Communities	Is information available on community/human environment goals, strategies, and objectives to help inform LRTP strategy selection? Do the strategies identified have any negative implications for specific populations or community features? If so, what adjustments can be made to avoid or minimize these potential impacts? Do the strategies address providing transportation options to access jobs and community services? Do any strategies imply the need to mitigate potentially negative consequences? If so, what mitigation opportunities have been identified?
Land Use	Do land use strategies exist to help inform strategy selection? Which strategies are supportive of land use goals? Do land use stakeholders and partners support or oppose any of the strategies? Are land use decision makers likely to support the underlying transportation land use assumptions?
Linking Planning and Operations	Have operations strategies been identified to address transportation deficiencies? If yes, can these strategies be supported in scenario evaluation? Have operational partners been involved in the development of strategies?
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	Do the strategies avoid priority areas for ecological conservation, restoration, and mitigation?
Performance Measures	Are there established performance measures that can inform strategy selection?
Planning and Environment Linkages	Have the approved strategies been adequately documented to inform environmental review?
Public Private Partnerships	Is it appropriate to include strategies related to tolling, innovative revenue, and financing options, or P3? What lessons can be drawn from P3 experiences in the region and elsewhere to inform strategy selection?
Public Transportation	What public transportation strategies are included in those approved? Are these consistent with current public transportation plans?
Safety	Is information available to support safety-related strategies?
Stakeholder Collaboration	How has stakeholder input informed strategy development? What strategies do stakeholders want incorporated into the plan? What stakeholder suggestions are not included in the approved strategies? What is the justification?
Transportation Conformity	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Visioning and Transportation	Has the visioning process identified any potential strategies to support the transportation goals? Is there any relationship between the visioning implementation activities and the strategies identified for the LRTP? If so, how might these be included in any similarities in the approved strategies?

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	Existing and committed project list for baseline and planning horizon years Strategies that were considered in the past and any available results Data and analysis tools appropriate for selected strategy evaluation
Programming	No specific data
Corridor Planning	Approved strategies to inform corridor planning studies
Environmental Review	Approved strategies to inform project
Bicycles and Pedestrians	Potential bicycle and pedestrian strategies Consider the following resources: Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Gide and Countermeasure Selection System (http://www.pedbikesafe.org/); Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/separated_bikelane_pdg/); Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center Context Sensitive Solutions Clearinghouse Road Diets (Roadway Reconfiguration) (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/road_diets/). Bicycle and pedestrian goals Data or analysis that support individual bicycle and pedestrian strategies
Capital Improvement	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development	Information on the potential economic development outcomes for various strategies
Freight	Feedback from freight stakeholders
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	List of potential strategies that provide GHG-reduction benefits Relevant federal and state policies (current and future) Previously conducted analysis methodology and results
Health in Transportation	Tradeoffs among health priorities and different strategies Analysis of the health outcomes associated with strategies Input from health and community stakeholders
Human Environment and Communities	Community/human environment goals, strategies, and objectives Data or analyses on how individual strategies influence community interests Input from human environment and community stakeholders Human environment mitigation strategies
Land Use	Data or analysis from land use planning that informs individual strategies Any assumptions made in land use planning that may impact transportation decisions
Linking Planning and Operations	Information on past performance of TSMO strategies Performance measures
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	Data or analyses from natural environment planning that supports individual strategies Map of conservation, restoration, and enhancement priorities
Performance Measures	Measures selected for strategy and scenario comparisons
Planning and Environment Linkages	Documentation of approved strategies and strategy analyses
Public Private Partnerships	P3 examples Innovative financing options
Public Transportation	Service and operational data to support any public transportation strategies
Safety	Data or analyses on safety strategies Proven safety countermeasures
Stakeholder Collaboration	Public involvement data/stakeholder input
Transportation Conformity	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Visioning and Transportation	Visioning implementation activities

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	Consider modal options in selecting strategies.
Capital Improvement	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development	Addressing transportation deficiencies (related to congestion, reliability, etc.) can also help enhance economic competitiveness. Stakeholder Collaboration with economic development interests from Freight, Land Use, Linking Planning and Operations, and other interests can help identify how addressing deficiencies can have broader reaching impacts.
Freight	Freight interests in the strategies may support other topics such as Economic Development, Linking Planning and Operations, Public-Private Partnerships, and Safety. Practitioners will need to determine which how to prioritize freight interests based on what is most important to the region. Looking for relationships and synergies may result in benefit across areas of interest.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions	Consider GHG goals and potential strategies to inform the selection of transportation strategies.
Health in Transportation	Other Applications might also produce strategies having health implications, including Bicycles and Pedestrians, Freight, Human Environment and Communities, Land Use, Safety, Stakeholder Collaboration, and Visioning and Transportation Applications.
Human Environment and Communities	Strategies supporting human environment and community needs and interests must be identified early for potential project streamlining. As with the Natural Environment and Implementing Eco-Logical, it is important to engage representatives from environmental review to prepare for project-level evaluation. Health in Transportation stakeholders may have strategy interests in common with individual communities
Land Use	Reach a consensus on the degree of flexibility or change that the land use planners are willing and able to implement to support the transportation strategies. Land-use related strategies might also connect to other PlanWorks Applications, such as Economic Development, Freight, GHG Emissions, Health in Transportation, Human Environment and Communities, and Natural Environment and Implementing Eco-Logical.
Linking Planning and Operations	TSMO strategies may provide support for capacity needs or address other deficiencies identified. At this Key Decision all Application topics of interest in the region are considered. Applications that may provide support for TSMO are Safety, Economic Development, Freight, Land Use, and Planning and Environment Linkages.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical	Consider conservation, restoration, and enhancement priorities to inform the selection of strategies.
Performance Measures	To consider how performance will be evaluated for each identified strategy, each Application that represents the interest of the region should be reviewed. This means that if the goals, objectives, and priorities of the region relate to an Application topic, the supporting data is potentially useful for performance measurement.
Planning and Environment Linkages	Document strategies considered, analysis methods, and outcomes from strategy analyses for consideration in corridor planning and/or environmental review.
Public Private Partnerships	If P3 has been incorporated in previous Key Decisions, strategies may be included for comparison to traditional financing options. This is similar to strategy development for Land Use, Economic Development, and other Application topics.
Public Transportation	Consider public transportation strategies that support and/or inform public transportation plans.
Safety	In considering potential safety countermeasures, Linking Planning and Operations may be a useful Application to consider. Strategies that address a short-term need often have a safety benefit.
Stakeholder Collaboration	Stakeholder input on potential solutions for transportation issues and needs incorporates a variety of perspectives and topics. Including this input as potential solutions are developed may demonstrate connections to other community interests and needs. See the Human Environment Application for more information. Transportation practitioners become more aware of the potential impacts of their decisions and may reach out to other agencies, stakeholders, and partners for additional information.
Transportation Conformity	This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Visioning and Transportation	Strategies supporting the regional vision may be improved by specific activities such as needed Land Use changes, Economic Development opportunities, and sequencing of Capital Improvement projects.

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:
None.

Other Examples:
None.