Workshop - Transportation Planning
Using Economic Impact Analysis for Transportation
Decision-making
Click here to see recorded event
The national workshop was held on June 16, 2010, highlighting the new
ways state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPOs) are incorporating economic impact analysis into
their program planning, project prioritization and selection processes.
The 90 minute event featured five speakers representing DOTs and MPOs
from across the country. These organizations differ significantly in
their location and size, so each agency has developed a different way of
applying economic impact analysis as part of its decision-making process.
All of them have developed innovative, new approaches within the past
year, using in-house staff to run the TREDIS economic impact analysis
system. Each presenter described his/her experiences in conducting
economic impact analysis and integrating it into their current planning
process. This was followed by a recorded question and answer period.
Presenting agencies:
Click here to see recorded event
Abstracts
|
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for
Planning: Brett M. Baden, Senior Economist at the
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
Abstract - "GOTO 2040"
Comprehensive Regional Transportation Plan. The Chicago
Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), which is the
Metropolitan Planning Organization for the seven northeastern
counties of Illinois, has just released the draft of the region's
thirty year comprehensive regional plan, GO TO 2040. CMAP used
TREDIS in the development of GO TO 2040 to forecast system-wide
economic impacts associated with the operation of new,
large-scale transportation projects and improvements. The
presentation reviews the development of an alternate analytic
technique and discusses how TREDIS was used in the development of
GO TO 2040.
See the CMAP Power Point Presentation
|
|
Kansas
Department of Transportation: Julie Lorenz,
Director of Public Affairs for the Kansas Department of
Transportation (KDOT),
Abstract - "T-LINK"
Expanded Highway Project Selection Process. A new $8.2
billion transportation construction program was recently passed
by the Kansas Legislature - one of only a handful of funding
programs to be approved in this tight economic climate. Julie
Lorenz, Director of Public Affairs for the Kansas Department of
Transportation, explains the crucial role that an expanded
selection process played in the successfully securing new funds.
That expanded process is built on a three-prong approach of
considering engineering factors, economic impact (as measured by
TREDIS) and regional impacts.
See the KDOT Power Point Presentation
|
|
Pikes
Peak Area Council of Governments: Craig Casper,
Director of the Pikes Peak MPO
Abstract - "Moving
Forward" Regional Transportation Plan. A recent change in
the state law that funds transportation removed the funding for
over 70% of the add-capacity type projects in the Pikes Peak
region. This reduction created a desire on the part of the
Colorado DOT for PPACG to prioritize the multitude of projects
that had been included in the Long Range Plan and the short range
funding Improvement Program. What they desired is a fiscally
constrained list of the projects that should be focused on. There
was an explicitly stated desire for this evaluation to include
looking at the "best bang for the buck" benefit-cost analysis
and, since the primary reason given by the decision-makers for
choosing one project over another is economic development, an
economic impact analysis was required. After investigating
several tools, TREDIS is the economic impact tool that was chosen
for this effort. This presentation discusses how PPACG uses the
tools in conjunction with one another to provide more and better
information for the project selection decision-making
process.
See the PPACG Power Point Presentation
|
|
Virginia Department of
Transportation: Mike Garrett, Senior Policy
Analyst in VDOT's Policy Division
Abstract - Multimodal
"Six Year Improvement Plan". Like many states over the
past couple of years, Virginia has had to grapple with
substantial challenges with its state budget, and we believe that
analysis of economic impacts at the project and the program level
can be a valuable tool in evaluating the most effective use of
transportation funds. While Virginia has performed economic
impact analyses for our larger transportation project proposals,
we have begun to receive more inquiries about our capabilities
using the VDOT TREDIS model for multimodal studies as we evaluate
how to infuse these types of analyses into our programming and
project selection process. The VDOT presentation discusses how we
use economic impact analyses for studying the impact of the FY
2009-2014 six year spending plans for each of Virginia's modal
agencies - highways, aviation, ports, and rail and transit,
including specific examples such as estimating the economic
benefits resulting from a bridge rehabilitation project (eleven
bridges along interstate I-95 in Henrico County and the city of
Richmond).
SeeVDOT Power Point Presentation
|
|
Wisconsin Department of
Transportation: Bob Russell, Transportation
Economist
Abstract: Evaluating and
Ranking Highway Major Projects from an Economic Development
Perspective. This presentation addresses the ways the
Wisconsin Department of Transportation evaluates the
macroeconomic effects of proposed major highway investment
projects. Specifically covered is the manner in which major
projects are proposed and selected, and the way they are
prioritized with the economic development potential being a
heavily weighted criterion, leveraging TREDIS to help with the
evaluation process.
See the WisDOT Power Point Presentation
|
Click here to see recorded event
|
