The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) required transportation agencies to use performance-based approaches, and there are federal guidelines and programs to help agencies develop performance management systems. For the performance management strategies to be effective, it is critical to establish performance measures that are practical and sensitive to planning and operational functions. Previously, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) provided the roadway inventory data in the Annual Sufficiency Report, which served as a planning tool and provided information that included the operational characteristics of the Michigan trunkline system. This report was retired in 2015. Given the lack of an up-to-date performance report, this study aims to identify and propose effective measures and analytical procedures for assessing the system performance of the Michigan trunkline system. To do so, first, a comprehensive review of literature regarding system planning performance management was conducted. Then, the current state-of-the-practice by transportation agencies across the United States was explored through a nationwide survey. Next, a review of the MDOT current and historical practices regarding performance management was performed. Subsequently, MDOT staff pertinent to performance management were interviewed to identify the current needs and gaps of the MDOT work areas in this regard. Then, the potential system planning performance measures for the Michigan trunkline system were identified, and a nationwide follow-up survey was carried out to determine the appropriate specifications (e.g., definition, calculation equations, thresholds, and targets), currently used by transportation agencies for the potential measures. Finally, the final recommendations and guidelines for the system planning performance management of the Michigan trunkline were provided. Based on the results of the study, total delay (and associated delay per mile for corridors), travel time index, planning time index, volume-to-capacity ratio, and level-of-service are the recommended measures for assessing the system performance of Michigan trunkline. The recommended specifications, data sources and tools to calculate the measures, as well as the reporting and communication methods for the selected measures are also presented.
Read
